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THE   RENAISSANCE   OF 
THE  GREEK   IDEAL 


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THE  RENAISSANCE  OF 
THE  GREEK   IDEAL 


BY 


DIANA   WATTS 

(Mrs.  Roger  Watts) 


WITH    ONE    HUNDRED    AND    FORTY-FOUR 
ILLUSTRATIONS    AND    DIAGRAMS 


•  )     * 


NEW  YORK 
FREDERICK   A.  STOKES   COMPANY 

MCMXIV 


Text  copyrighted,  igi4,  by 
Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company 

Illustrations  copyrighted  in 
Great  Britain 


April,  jgi4 


^^/^•^,  {zi3^o) 


'To  all  those  who  by  their  love  and  encouragement 

have    made   this    book  possible 

I  dedicate  it  in  gratitude 

and  affection 


2052979 


CONTENTS 

Page 

CHAPTER   I. 

Comparative    Analysis    of    the   Ancient    Greek    Development 

and  that  of  the  Modern  Human  Being  ...  i 

CHAPTER   n. 

The  Essential  Training  of  the  Foot  as  Base    .  .  .  .  lo 

CHAPTER  in. 
Definition  of  Tension  .  .  .  .  .         ,         .         2i 

CHAPTER   IV. 
The  Fundamental  Principles  of  Movement      .  .  .  .  32 

CHAPTER   V. 
The  Application  of  Mathematics  to  Human  Movement   .  ,         41 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Interpretation  of  Sculpture  by  the  Laws  of  Balance   .  ,         67 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Mental  Reactions         ........         86 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Spiritual  Reactions       .  •        .  .  .  .  .  .  .        103 


Detailed  Explanations  of  the  Twelve  Basic  Exercises       .  .       115 


vu 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PLATES 


NO. 


II. 
III. 

IV. 

V. 
Va. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 


XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 


FOLLOWING 

PACE 


The  Herakles  of  the  Aegina  Pediment 2 

The  Author's  Reproduction  of  the  Herakles 

First  Position  of  the  Archer 4 

Second  Position  of  the  Archer 

Final  Position  of  the  Archer 


Bronze  Reproduction  of  the  Discobolus  of  Myron 

Discobolus  of  the  Castel  Porziano  .... 

The  Author's  Reproduction  of  the  Discobolus 

Taking  Aim 

The  Swing  Back 

Final  Position 


4 
4 

4 
4 

6 

6 
6 


Diagram  of  the  Author's  Foot  Before  and  After  Training  .  12 

The  Author's  Walking  Shoes 20 

Greek  Vase  Picture  Illustrating  the  Principles  of  Tension  24 
Exercise  for  Stretching  Into  Tension.    Four  Positions 

Designs  of  Curves  Made  by  a  Wheel  Fixed  to  a  Horizontal 
Bar,  the  Pivot  of  Which  Was  Travelling  Around  an 
Ellipse 

Curves  Which  Ultimately  Become  Changeless  and  Endless 

Curves  Produced  by  Alteration  in  the  Length  of  Bar  . 

More  Complicated  Curves  Produced  by  a  Further  Alter.a 
TiON  IN  the  Length  of  the  Bar 


Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  IV.    Two  Figures 
Geometrical  Version  of  the  Same    .... 
Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  III.    Four  Figures 
Geometrical  Version  of  the  Same    .... 


Optical  Registration  of  the  Combination  of  Exercises  VIII 
and  IV.    Three  Figures 


30 


44 
44 


44 

54 
56 
58 
58 

60 


IX 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FOLLOWING 
NO.  PAGE 

XXI.    Geometrical  Version  of  the  Same 60 

XXII.     Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  VIII.    Two  Figures    .        .  60 

XXIII.  Geometrical  Version  of  the  Same 60 

XXIV.  Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  VII.    Three  Figures  .        .  62 
XXV.     Geometrical  Version  of  the  Same 62 

XXVI.     Optical  Reristration  of  Exercise  V.    Four  Figures      .        .  64 

XXVII.     Geometrical  Version  of  the  Same 64 

XXVIII.     Geometrical  Version  of  Exercise  II 64 

XXIX.    The  Charioteer  of  the  Capitol,  Rome 70 

XXX.     The  Apotheosis  of  Herakles 74 

XXXI.     A.     Heros    Combattant    du    Louvre.     B.     The    Fighting 

Theseus 76 

XXXII.     A.    The  Youth  of  Subiaco.    B.    The  Author's  Alternative 
Position   to  That  of   the   Youth    of   Subiaco,    Showing 

Strong  Position  of  the  Left  Foot 78 

XXXIII.  The  Amazon  of  the  Vatican 78 

XXXIV.  The  Author's  Altered  Restoration  of  the  Amazon      .        .  80 

The  Author's  Reproduction  of  the  Amazon 

XXXV.     Full  View 80 

XXXVI.     Profile  View 80 

XXXVII.     The  Athena  of  the  Aeginetan  Pediment        ....  82 

The  Author's  Reproduction  of  Vase  Paintings  of  Athena 

XXXVIII.     First  Position 82 

XXXIX.     A  Complete  Volte-face  Without  Lifting  the  Feet        .         .  82 
XL.     Another  Change  of  Position  With  the  Feet  Still  Un- 
changed    82 

XLI.    The  Goddess  Fortuna 84 

XLII.    The  Author's  Reproduction  of  the  Fortuna  in  Profile      .  84 

The  Author's  Reproduction  of  a  Greek  Dance 

XLIII.     Position  of  the  Aphrodite  at  the  Villa  Item  ....  84 
XLIV.     Position  Showing  the  Lightness  Resulting  from  Extreme 

Tension 84 

XLV.     Position  of  the  Greek  Dancing  Boy 84 

XLVI.    Another  Position 84 

XLVII.     Final  Position 84 


HO. 

XLVIII. 
XLIX. 


L. 

LI. 

LII. 

LIII. 

LIV. 

LV. 

LVI. 

LVII. 

LVIII. 

LIX. 

LX. 

LXI. 

LXII. 

LXIII. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FOLLOWING 
PAGE 

Example  of  Tension  in  a  Falling  Cat loo 

Exercise  I,  of  the  Twelve  Basic  Exercises.     Three   Posi- 
tions    120 

Exercise      II.    Three  Positions 124 

Exercise    III.     Four  Positions 130 

Exercise     IV.    Three  Positions 136 

Exercise       V.    Three  Positions 140 

Same  Continued.    Two  Positions 140 

Exercise     VI.    Two  Positions 146 

Exercise  VII.    Three  Positions 152 

Same  Continued 152 

Exercise  VIII.     Four  Positions 156 

Exercise     IX.     Three   Positions 160 

Exercise      X.    Three  Positions 166 

Profile  View  of  Exercise  XI 168 

Full  View  OF  Exercise  XI  .        . 170 

Exercise  XII.    Three  Positions 174 


MO. 

I. 


3- 


5- 

6. 
7- 


CINEMA   SERIES 

FOLLOWING 
PACE 

Showing  the  Movement  of  the  Archer  in  the  Author's  Reproduc- 
tion of  Herakles.    Twenty-one  Positions 4 

Showing  the  Movement  in  the  Author's  Reproduction  of  the 
Discobolus.    Twenty-two  Positions 6 

The  Same,  Showing  a  Second  Way  of  Finishing  the  Throw. 
Twelve  Positions 6 

Showing  the  Movement  of  the  Leap  of  the  Charioteer  and  the  De- 
scent from  the  Chariot  in  the  Author's  Reproduction  of  the 
Charioteer  of  the  Capitol.    Thirty-four  Positions  .        .        .        -73 

Showing  the  Movement  in  Exercise  I  of  the  Twelve  Basic  Exer- 
cises.   Ten  Positions 120 

Showing  the  Movement  IN  Exercise  II.    Twenty-one  Positions  .     124 

Showing  THE  Movement  IN  Exercise  III.    Twenty  Positions      .        .     134 

xi 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FOLLOWING 

110.  PAGE 

8.  Showing  THE  Movement  IN  Exercise  IV.    Twenty  Positions      .        .  138 

9.  Showing  THE  Movement  IN  Exercise  V.    Fifty  Positions     .        .        .  142 

10.  Showing  the  Movement  in  Exercise  VI.    Forty  Positions  .        .        .  148 

11.  Showing  the  Movement  IN  Exercise  VII.    Thirty-two  Positions      .  154 

12.  Showing  THE  Movement  IN  Exercise  XI.    Thirty  Positions        .        .  172 

13.  Showing  the  Movement  IN  Exercise  XII.    Forty-one  Positions  .        .  176 

14.  Showing  the  Movement  in  a  Combination  of  Exercises  VI  and  VII. 

Forty  Positions 176 

15.  Showing  the  Movement  in  a  Combination  of  Exercises  VIII  and 

IV.    Thirty  Positions 178 

16.  Showing  the  Movement  in  a  Puzzle  Combination  of  Exercises. 

Forty-one  Positions 178 


Xll 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF 
THE    GREEK    IDEAL 


CHAPTER  I 


COMPARATIVE  ANALYSIS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  GREEK  DEVELOPMENT 
AND  THAT  OF  THE  MODERN  HUMAN  BEING 

"  No  citizen  has  a  right  to  be  an  amateur  in  the  matter  of 
physical  training:  ....  what  a  disgrace  it  is  for  a  man  to 
grow  old  without  ever  seeing  the  beauty  and  strength  of  which 
his  body  is  capable!  " 

Socrates.     Xen.,  Mem.  Hi.  12. 

OF  all  the  lost  secrets  of  antiquity,  perhaps  the 
most  important  is  that  which  produced  the  enor- 
mous physical  superiority  of  the  Greeks  over  any 
other  race  of  human  beings  known  to  us  either  before  or 
since  their  time. 

They  proved  for  all  time  that  this  condition  of  physical 
excellence  was  possible  in  a  human  being.  How  the  secret 
of  its  attainment  was  lost  will  probably  never  be  decided, 
as  not  one  of  the  many  theories  can  ever  be  proved. 

The  fact  only  remains  that  a  rising  wave  of  unequalled 
physical  and  mental  development  carried  these  wonderful 
people  on  its  crest  for  one  brief  period  of  realised  perfection, 
during  which  they  were  able  to  grasp  the  full  meaning 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

of  Liberty  under  the  Law,  not  only  as  a  nation,  but  also 
as  individuals. 

The  modern  human  being  has  drifted  so  far  away 
in  physical  form  from  the  Greek  as  to  fail  to  realise  the 
differences.  These  differences,  however,  are  not  organic, 
but  are  in  all  probability  the  result  of  early  training. 

I  myself  began  as  an  ordinarily  active  human  being, 
but,  in  the  course  of  training,  development,  researches,  and 
discoveries,  gradually  acquired  a  knowledge  that  led  to  a 
condition  which  is  nearer  to  that  of  the  Greeks  than  any 
other  that  has  yet  been  achieved. 

The  secret  consists  in  a  condition  of  the  muscles  totally 
different  from  any  realised  by  athletes  since  the  time  of  the 
Greeks,  a  condition  of  Tension,  which  transforms  dead 
weight  into  a  living  force,  and  which  made  the  Greek 
as  different  from  the  modern  human  being  as  a  stretched 
rubber  band  differs  from  a  slack  one.^ 

There  are  frequent  allusions  in  the  Iliad  to  this  power 
possessed  by  the  Greeks  of  transforming  their  muscles  on 
the  instant  into  a  condition  of  almost  superhuman  force, 
and  although  much  must  be  allowed  for  Homer's  poetical 
imagination,    there  is    no    doubt    that    this   extraordinary 

•  It  is  interesting  to  note  that,  although  the  secret  of  how  this  condition 
was  acquired  has  been  lost,  strong  evidence  remains  that  a  special  science 
existed,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  following  extract  from  Mr.  Norman  Gardiner's 
book  on  Greek  Athletics: 

"  There  arose  in  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century  a  new  science  of 
gymnastics,  which  aimed  not  at  the  performance  of  particular  exercises  but  at 
the  production  of  certain  physical  conditions  (16s,  Xenophon,  Mem.  I.e.; 
Aristotle,  Pol.  1338  b.),  especially  the  condition  required  for  athletic  suc- 
cess."— "  Greek  Athletic  Sports  and  Festivals."     E.  Norman  Gardiner. 


PLATE    I. 


Photo  Ciraiitloii.] 

The  Herakles  ot  the  Aegina  Pediment. 


THE   ANCIENT   GREEK    DEVELOPMENT 

force  was  always  produced  by  will-power  acting  on  some 
special  physical  condition  which  resulted  in  a  complete 
restoration  of  exhausted  powers,  taking  away  all  sense  of 
fatigue,  and  placing  the  body  once  more  under  an  alert 
control. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  prove  that  the  means  by 
which  I  discovered  this  force  in  myself  are  the  same  which 
gave  the  Greeks  their  marvellous  physical  superiority;  but 
it  will  probably  be  conceded  that  there  is  sufficient 
similarity  in  the  results  to  justify  the  hypothesis. 

Among  the  statues  of  the  Aegina  Pediment  are  one  or 
two  figures,  the  correctness  of  whose  positions  has  been 
questioned  on  account  of  their  seeming  physical  impossi- 
bility—notably that  of  the  crouching  Archer  with  the 
lion's  head  helmet,  supposed  to  be  the  Herakles.  This 
exquisite  statue  is  an  example  of  what,  to  the  modern 
human  being,  is  an  impossible  position,  owing  to  the 
difficulty  of  maintaining  a  balance  on  so  uncertain  a 
base. 

This  was  the  first  statue  on  which  I  tested  my  own 
newly  discovered  principle  of  balance  in  movement  under 
tension,  and  with  the  test  the  whole  sequence  of  movement 
came  as  a  revelation.  Passing  through  the  positions  which 
led  up  to  that  chosen  by  the  sculptor,  I  proved  it  to  be 
not  only  possible,  but  inevitable,  as  also  the  subsequent 
recovery  to  an  erect  position.  In  demonstrating  the 
principles  of  balance,  which  make  possible  the  momentary 
poise  of  all  the  most  vividly  animated  statues,  it  is  not 
enough  to  give  a  careful  imitation    of   the   one    position 

3 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

chosen  by  the  sculptor.  To  prove  its  naturalness  and  its 
truth,  it  is  necessary  to  show  what  led  up  to  that  momen- 
tary poise,  and  what  followed  it,  and  if  all  three  positions 
produce  an  uninterrupted  sequence  it  is  safe  to  conclude 
that  the  central  poise  is  correct. 

In  giving  photographs  of  my  own  reproductions  of 
certain  statues  (for  the  sake  of  comparison  with  the  originals) 
this  is  the  method  I  have  adopted,  and  in  the  case  of 
three  of  the  most  important  statues  (from  the  point  of  view 
of  movement),  viz.,  the  Discobolus,  the  Archer,  and  the 
Charioteer,  of  the  Capitol,  I  have  added  selections  from 
cinematographic  photos  showing  how  these  positions  were 
achieved.^ 

Plate  I.  shows  the  original  of  the  Archer  of  the 
Aegina  Pediment,  and  Plates  II.,  III.,  and  IV.  my 
representation  of  his  completed  movement,  while  Cinema 
Series  No.  1  gives  the  detailed  analysis  of  each  change  of 
position,^  with  an  enlargement  of  No.  12.  One  can 
picture  him  first,  standing  erect,  peering  round  the  corner 
of  a  boulder,  or  from  behind  a  bush,  watching  for  his 
enemy,  when  suddenly  he   spies  him,  and  in  an  instant 

1  These  cinematographic  notes  were  taken  in  Paris  at  the  Institut  Marey, 
at  the  request  of  Professor  Charles  Richet,  the  President,  who  most  gener- 
ously presented  them  to  me  afterwards.  On  an  average  about  ten  cinema 
positions  were  selected  from  lOO  actual  film  representations,  the  sequence  be- 
ing sufficiently  clearly  illustrated  by  this  average.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  the  reading  of  cinematographic  sequences  begins  on  the  left  side  and 
continues  downwards,  following  on  to  the  top  of  the  second  line,  and  so  on. 
The  first  page  of  cinema  detail  has  been  numbered  as  a  guide. 

-  Unfortunately  the  bow  and  arrow  which  are  shown  in  the  larger  photos 
did  not  arrive  in  time  for  the  cinema  pictures,  which  were  the  first  taken,  but 
their  absence  makes  no  difference  whatever  to  the  actual  movement. 


PLATE    II 


Copyright.] 


First  Position  ot  the  Arcl.cr. 


PLA'lE    III. 


Cupy  right. 


Second  Position  of  the  Archer. 


PLATE    IV. 


Copyrights 


final  Position  of  the  Archer. 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    i 


**^ 


■\: 


•ssst.. 


Copyti^lU.] 


Representation  ot  the  Movement  of  the  Archer. 
(Enlargement  of  No.  iz.) 


PLATE    V 


Pholo  AliiKiyi.] 


Hroii/.c  Reproduction  of  die  Discobolus  of  Mvrou, 
'I'cniic  Museum,  Rome, 


PLATE    Va. 


Photo  Atinan. 


Discobolus  of"  the  Castcl  Porziano. 


THE   ANCIENT   GREEK    DEVELOPMENT 

drops  from  a  standing  position,  in  which  he  was  exposed, 
to  a  crouching  one,  in  which  he  is  covered  and  can  let 
fly  his  arrow  in  safety. 

The  drop  is  made  in  one  single  movement,  by  the 
simultaneous  bend  of  the  right  foot  and  knee,  and  the 
throw-out  of  the  left  leg,  with  the  foot  well  in  front,  to 
allow  the  greatest  possible  bend  of  the  right  foot  and 
knee,  all  this  having  been  performed  without  disturbing 
the  vertical  line  of  the  torso.  The  recovery  to  an  erect 
position  is  merely  the  drawing  back  of  the  left  foot  under 
the  body,  and  the  straightening  up  of  the  right  foot  and 
knee — in  appearance  an  extremely  simple  movement,  and 
strikingly  beautiful  because  of  its  simplicity. 

Plate  V.  represents  the  Discobolus  of  Myron,  the  pho- 
tograph being  that  of  the  bronze  reproduction  in  the 
Terme  Museum  in  Rome.'  Considered  statically,  it  is 
a  comparatively  easy  matter  to  reproduce  the  position  of 
this  statue  correctly;  considered  dynamically,  it  has  never 
been  clearly  explained.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  often 
been  described  as  a  contortion,  and  even  Professor  Loewy 
regards  it  in  that  light."  It  has  also  been  compared  to  "an 
involved  figure  of  speech."  But,  as  soon  as  the  laws  of 
equilibrium  in  movement  are  understood,  this  wonderful 
momentary  poise  explains  itself  with  perfect  clearness. 
The  rules  regulating  the  throwing  of  the  discus  restricted 
the  competitors  to  a  limited  space,  and  in  my  interpretation 

^  A  photo  of  the  unrestored  statue  of  the  Castel  Porziano  in  marble  is 
also  shown,  as  the  resemblance  of  the  cinema  enlargement  is  stronger  to  this 
than  to  the  bronze  reproduction;  this  is  given  as  Plate  Va. 

"  "  Nature  in  Greek  Art."     Emanuel  Loewy,  p.  87. 

5 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

I  have  assumed  that  the  Discobolus  allowed  himself  four 

steps.     The    first   position  would  necessarily   be  that  of 

taking   aim,   represented    by  Plate   VI.      Although    there 

was  no  special  mark  to  be  aimed  at  nor  even  any  restriction 

as  to  latitude,  it  is  obvious  that  the  straighter  the  line  of 

flight,  'the  farther  the  discus  would  travel,  and  therefore 

the  competitor  would  probably  take  mental  note  of  some 

object  he  considered  possible  to   reach,  and  aim  for  that. 

I  myself  found  I  could  throw  farther  when  aiming  at  some 

definite    mark    than    when    merely    letting    the    discus    fly 

at    random.      The   wavering    of    indecision,    replaced    by 

directness  of  intention,  finds  its  corresponding  economy  of 

force  in  the   physical  expression,  which  results  in  a  more 

powerful  throw.      Plates  VI.,  VII.,  and  VIII.    show   the 

three    striking    positions    from    start   to    finish.      That   of 

taking   aim    is   followed    by   a    short    run   of   three   steps, 

and  the  swing  back  of  the  discus  arm  on  the  third  step, 

accompanied  by  the  simultaneous  turn-back  of  the  head  to 

allow    the    maximum    play   of    the    shoulder-muscles    and 

also  to  bring  the  whole  weight  in  line  over  the  base  (see 

Plate  VII.).      All  the  force  of   the  throw  depends  on  the 

freedom  of  the  shoulder-swing.      This  backward  movement 

of   the   arm   and    head    produces  a   momentary   pause    in 

the    forward    momentum,    during    which     the     left     foot 

performs   a    supple   trailing   movement   on  the    bent-back 

toes,  offering    no    resistance   either   to   the   pause    or   the 

momentum,  held    in   abeyance,  as  it  were,  ready  for  the 

final   gathering   together   of   all    the  forces   in  the   actual 

throw.     The   whole  weight  of   the  body  is  on   the  right 

6 


PLATE    VI. 


Copyright.] 


Taking  Aim 


Pr.A'IT,    VII. 


The  Swing  Back. 


PLATE    VIII. 


Copyriglu.] 


The  Final  Position. 


CINEMA    SERIES,  No.   2. 


Copyn^hl.] 


Movement  of"  the  Discobolus. 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.   3, 


Copyright.] 


A  Second  Way  <if  Kinisliing  the  Throw. 


THE   ANCIENT   GREEK    DEVELOPMENT 

foot,  whose  toes  grip  the  ground  with  tremendous  tension, 
to  prevent  any  pull  back  of  the  body  by  the  backward 
swing  of  the  discus  arm. 

Looking  at  this  statue,  end  on,  so  to  speak,  one 
notices  the  decided  lean-over  to  the  left,  although  the 
centre  of  gravity  is  over  the  right  foot.  This  is  due  to 
the  necessity  of  counterbalancing  the  weight  of  the  discus, 
which  averaged  10  lbs.  The  final  position  of  the  Dis- 
cobolus, as  represented  by  Plate  VIIL,  is  the  uplifting  of 
the  whole  body  as  the  discus  flies  forward.  The  force 
with  which  it  leaves  the  hand  determines  the  distance  it 
will  travel,  and  this  force  is  dependent  on  the  freedom  of 
the  shoulder-swing.  The  momentum  is  in  the  arm  alone, 
produced  by  the  rapidity  of  its  swing  in  a  loose,  free 
shoulder  socket.  No  body  weight  is  needed  in  this 
instance,  to  follow  on  after  the  throw,  as  there  is  no 
opposition  to  the  discus.  Straight  and  far  it  has  to  fly, 
and  acceleration  is  the  thing  to  try  for.  The  force  or 
travelling  power  of  an  object  thrown  depends,  not  on  the 
momentum  of  a  following-on  weight,  but  on  the  rapidity 
with  which  it  leaves  the  hand,  and  this  acceleration  depends 
on  freedom  from  friction  or  resistance.  Therefore,  anything 
that  might  hinder  its  speed  must  be  carefully  avoided. 
The  main  weight  of  the  body  must  be  so  perfectly  balanced 
that  no  danger  of  a  fall  forward  can  occur  at  the  last 
moment.  Body-weight,  as  a  following-on  movement,  is 
needed  only  in  the  case  of  a  blow.  In  this  case,  the  arm 
meets  with  a  sudden  reaction  from  opposition,  and  the  full 
power  of  a  drive  from  the   shoulder  can  take  effect  only 

7 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

when  the  body-weight  follows  closely  on  to  counteract  the 
effect  of  the  reaction. 

In  the  final  position  of  Cinema  Series  No.  2,  which 
gives  a  detailed  analysis  of  the  changes,  it  will  be  seen  how 
the  rapidity  of  the  arm-swing  has  carried  the  arm  itself  far 
above  the  head,  lifting  the  whole  body  straight  into  the 
air,  with  its  forward  foot  still  in  vertical  line  with  the  centre 
of  gravity.  The  central  position  of  this  series  has  been 
enlarged  for  the  purpose  of  comparing  it  with  that  of  the 
statue,  and  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  rapidity  of 
the  whole  movement  is  such  as  to  render  impossible  any 
conscious  imitation  of  one  special  pose,  the  differences 
between  the  two  are  surprisingly  small.  The  final  position 
has  also  been  enlarged  for  the  better  observation  of  the 
tremendous  tension  in  all  the  leg  and  foot  muscles.  The 
rapidity  of  rotation,  on  which  depends  the  accuracy  of  aim, 
is  given  by  the  final  twist  of  the  forefinger  as  the  discus 
leaves  the  hand,  which  movement  also  governs  the  height 
of  the  trajectory,  an  important  factor  in  the  distance 
reached.  At  the  moment  the  discus  leaves  the  hand, 
the  body  is  drawn  up  to  its  full  height,  tense  with 
the  instant  arrest  of  all  momentum,  the  weight  poised 
over  the  left  foot,  which  has  come  forward  on  the  trail- 
ing movement,  ready  for  the  fourth  step,  which  it  takes 
as  soon  as  the  body  is  erect,  checking  any  chance  of 
overbalance  from  the  force  of  the  throw.  Thus,  the 
final  position  is  almost  identical  with  the  first,  with  this 
difference,  that  the  body  is  more  erect,  and  the  head  is 
thrown  back  instead  of  being  lowered  to  the  line  of  the 
8 


THE  ANCIENT  GREEK  DEVELOPMENT 

right  arm  as  when  taking  aim,  and  the  arm  itself  is  above 
the  head. 

Cinema  Series  No.  3  gives  ten  photographs  representing 
a  different  finish,  which  alteration  begins  the  moment 
the  discus  leaves  the  hand.  In  this  series,  instead  of 
coming  to  a  full  stop  on  the  highest  lift  of  tension,  I 
turned  all  the  force  of  the  throw  back  on  itself,  as  it  were, 
and  came  right  round  in  a  circular  leap  in  which  the  right 
arm  acted  as  motive-power. 

The  final  position  of  this  series  is  an  almost  exact 
reproduction  of  that  represented  occasionally  in  vase 
paintings,  a  photograph  of  which  I  have  been  unable  to 
find  up  to  the  present  moment.  It  would  seem  probable 
that  those  athletes  who  were  not  quite  sure  of  themselves 
for  the  suddenly-arrested  finish,  practised  the  circular  leap 
back  to  avoid  over-stepping  the  boundary.  It  is  difficult 
to  see  what  other  explanation  could  account  for  the 
complete  reversal  of  position  shown  on  some  of  the  vases. 
An  enlargement  of  one  of  the  positions  while  in  the  air  is 
shown  for  the  purpose  of  demonstrating  the  force  of  the 
arm-swing  which  is  so  obviously  carrying  the  body  round 
with  it.  It  would  seem  at  first  sight  that  both  these 
statues,  the  Archer  and  the  Discobolus,  might  be  quite 
easily  represented  in  movement,  but  the  first  attempt  will 
prove  that  this  is  not  so.  The  sequence  of  all  three 
positions  in  each  case  is  only  possible  to  achieve  with 
muscles  exquisitely  trained  to  elasticity,  exceptional  activity, 
and  balance. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE  ESSENTIAL  TRAINING  OF  THE  FOOT  AS  BASE 

THE  Greek  child  was  sent  to  the  Palaestra  at  the 
age  of  five,  and,  judging  by  the  testimony  of  Greek 
Art,  the  mothers  must  have  modified  the  shape  of 
their  children  before  they  began  their  gymnastic  train- 
ing. Antique  Art  gives  us  many  illustrations  of  this.  We 
have  no  grounds  for  thinking  that  the  Greek  baby  was 
different  from  any  other  baby,  but  every  reason  for  thinking 
that  the  Greek  mother  was  responsible  for  its  eventual 
development,  more  especially  for  the  way  in  which  it 
stood  and  walked. 

The  neck  was  carried  much  farther  back  on  the  spine 
without  throwing  the  chin  in  the  air;  the  hips  also  were 
more  behind  the  body  than  under  it;  the  elbows  farther 
back  and  turned  in  instead  of  out.  Above  all,  the  child 
was  made  to  walk  on  the  inside  of  its  foot  with  the  toes 
planted  in  straight  line  with  the  heel ;  never  turned 
outwards. 

Finally,  when  the  child  went  to  the  gymnasium,  the 
object  of  its  training  was  not  how  to  develop  its  muscles, 
but  to  learn  how  to  transform  their  condition,  at  will,  into 
one  that  rendered  the  whole  body  master  of  itself  on  the 
instant. 

The  result  of  this  was  twofold.  In  the  first  place,  it 
entirely  abolished  all  sense  of  fatigue,  and,  in  the  second, 

lO 


TRAINING   OF   THE    FOOT   AS    BASE 

it  gave  an  extraordinary  precision  of  movement,  the  outcome 
of  a  perfect  command  over  the  muscles. 

There  are  many  illustrations  on  vases  of  the  importance 
evidently  attached  to  exercises  performed  along  straight 
lines,  the  trainer  standing  behind  the  pupil  giving  instruc- 
tions, while  the  pupil  is  advancing,  with  eyes  fixed  upon 
some  distant  object,  in  the  endeavour  to  maintain  some 
special  position  of  balance.  One  vase  in  the  British 
Museum  represents  a  baby  crawling  on  its  hands  and 
knees,  with  a  trainer  behind  it,  and  the  mother  some 
distance  in  front  holding  out  her  hands.  The  trainer 
carries,  as  usual,  a  long  stick,  with  which  he  emphasises 
his  explanations  and  guides  the  small  pupil  along  a  line. 

The  two  most  important  things,  then,  with  which  the 
Greek  child  began  its  physical  training,  were :  the  cultiva- 
tion in  its  muscles  of  a  condition  that  made  possible  the 
maximum  amount  of  activity,  and  the  mastering  of  the 
laws  of  balance,  which  enabled  that  activity  to  be  controlled 
with  the  smallest  expenditure  of  force. 

The  feet,  being  the  most  important  factor  in  balance, 
received  the  most  careful  training,  and  Antique  Art  gives 
numberless  illustrations  of  special  movements  on  the  ball 
of  the  foot,  to  accustom  the  pupil  to  dispense  entirely 
with  the  heel  as  necessary  security  for  balance,  and  teach 
him  to  maintain  the  centre  of  gravity  over  the  forward  part 
of  the  foot.  This  is  the  explanation  of  the  beautiful  Greek 
foot.  The  form  of  the  Greek  foot  is  totally  different  from 
that  of  a  modern  foot,  and  rhe  strange  sense  of  flying 
which  is  expressed  in  nearly  all  antique  representations  of 

II 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

movement  is  due  to  these  wonderful  feet.  The  first  three 
toes  were  very  much  longer,  and  were  thin  and  nervous 
like  fingers;  the  fourth  toe  was  barely  used,  and  the  little 
toe  not  at  all,  being  nearly  always  well  above  the  ground, 
the  reason  for  this  being  the  spread  of  the  pad  on  the 
outside  of  the  foot,  which  formed  a  sort  of  wing  on  which 
all  the  ground  contact  and  movement  were  centred.  This 
wing,  which  is  that  part  of  the  pad  immediately  below  the 
little  toe,  was  the  secret  of  their  wonderful  flying  movement. 
It  has  practically  ceased  to  exist,  but  so  great  is  the  power 
of  predestined  form,  that,  in  spite  of  years  of  distortion. 
Nature,  if  given  a  chance,  will  repair  to  an  incredible 
degree  all  human  errors  of  this  type. 

Plate  IX.  is  interesting  from  this  point  of  view.  The 
«  dotted  lines  represent  the  outline  of  my  own  foot  without 
a  shoe,  taken  at  an  interval  of  five  years  between  the  two 
diagrams';  while  the  thicker  lines  represent  the  respective 
soles  worn, — in  the  case  of  No.  1  five  years  ago,  and 
taken  from  a  smart  Bond  Street  shoe,  and,  in  the  case  of 
No.  2,  that  worn  at  the  present  day,  and  made  by  an 
equally  smart  Sloane  Street  shoemaker.  In  Diagram  1  it 
will  be  noticed  that  the  point  of  the  toe  is  in  direct  line 
with  the  middle  of  the  heel,  as  shown  by  the  line  E  to  F, 
which  is  the  invariable  way  of  making  the  modern  shoe  of 
a  woman.  To  fit  the  foot  into  this  line,  the  joint  of  the 
big  toe,  where  it  meets  the  ball  of  the  foot  at  point  A, 
has  to  be  bent  over  towards  point  F.  This  contortion 
is   quite    possible,    as   this    particular   joint    is   a    partially 

^  These  diagrams  have  been  of  course  reduced  in  size. 
12 


PLATE    IX 


No.   I. 

The  foot  when  wearing  the 

habitually  shaped  shoe. 


No.   2. 

The   foot  when   alIo\ved 

perfect  freedom. 


13 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

revolving  one ;  but  it  was  made  so  to  facilitate  a  more 
perfect  balance  on  that  part  of  the  foot  destined  to  carry 
the  weight  of  the  body,  and  this  fact  proves  Nature's 
intention  of  leaving  absolute  freedom  at  that  point.  The 
result,  therefore,  of  bending  the  toe  to  the  side,  locks  this 
joint,  and  makes  even  a  slight  bend  a  constant  strain. 
But,  what  is  still  more  important,  this  contortion  makes 
impossible  any  bend  at  all  of  the  second  joint  of  the  big 
toe  (B),  which  is  formed  to  move  backwards  and  forwards 
only;  and  with  the  rigidity  of  this  joint  comes  the  paralysis 
of  all  joints  in  line  with  it. 

Diagram  1  on  Plate  IX.  will  make  this  clear.  A 
represents  the  junction  joint  of  the  big  toe  and  the  ball  of 
the  foot,  B  the  second  joint  of  the  big  toe,  rendered  rigid 
by  the  unnatural  angle  of  A  to  F.  The  fact  that  B  is 
unbendable  renders  C  also  rigid ;  therefore  the  only 
possible  bend  in  the  forward  part  of  the  foot  is  in  a 
straight  line  across  the  ball  from  A  to  D,  and  all  in  front 
of  that  line  is  rendered  useless,  although  it  is  the  only 
part  provided  with  joints  and  elasticity. 

The  actual  movement  of  the  foot  is  thus  restricted 
to  leverage  from  E  to  A  and  D,  and  as  there  are  no  joints 
in  this  part  of  the  foot  but  only  a  strong  tendon,  which 
depends  for  elasticity  on  the  freedom  of  A,  the  movement 
cannot  fail  to  be  performed  in  jerks,  and  the  weight  cen- 
tre is  thrown  back  to  midway  between  A  and  E.  The 
wrench  of  the  muscles  at  A,  necessitated  by  the  angle 
AF,  produces  callosities  smaller  or  greater  according  to 
the    weight    of    the    individual.      Diagram    1    is    a    good 


TRAINING   OF  THE    FOOT   AS   BASE 

specimen  of  the  foot  of  a  modern  woman,  yet  even  this 
represents  pain  and  fatigue  and  distortion,  solely  from 
the  fact  that  joint  B  is  unbendable. 

Diagram  2  on  Plate  IX.  is  an  outline  of  the  same  foot 
five  years  later.  Joint  A  has  been  liberated  by  making 
the  shoe  a  different  shape,  and  restoring  the  angle  AF  to 
a  straight  line,  and  Nature  has  responded  by  bringing  back 
the  big  toe  into  this  line,  as  was  always  intended.  This 
gives  B,  which  can  only  bend  forwards  and  backwards,  the 
freedom  it  needs,  and  at  the  same  time  liberates  all  joints 
in  the  line  from  B  to  C.  The  swing-back  of  the  big  toe 
into  a  straight  line  considerably  shortens  the  line  A  to  B, 
while  it  enormously  lengthens  that  of  F  to  D,  the  length- 
ening process  taking  place  in  two  directions,  viz.,  from  C 
upwards  to  F,  and  from  the  same  point  downwards  to  D, 
gradually  getting  lower  as  the  wing  of  the  foot  responds 
to  its  freedom  and  takes  its  natural  spread.  The  nearer 
point  D  becomes  to  the  narrowing  waist  of  the  foot,  the 
more  perfect  will  be  the  spring  and  balance  of  the  move- 
ment, for  the  reason  that  the  triangular  bend  from  D  to  A 
and  on  to  B  constitutes  a  complete  leverage  in  itself, 
without  the  need  of  any  help  from  the  heel.  The  weight- 
centre  is  carried  forward  from  the  middle  of  the  waist 
of  the  foot  to  a  point  on  the  ball  of  the  foot,  a  little  inside 
A,  and  the  line  £  to  F  is  now  traced  from  the  inside 
edge  of  the  heel  to  the  point  of  the  big  toe.  Having 
restored  the  use  of  the  forward  part  of  the  foot,  and 
relieved  the  heel  of  weight  it  was  never  intended  to  carry, 
the  mainspring  or  tendon  which   is   placed  all  along    the 

IS 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

waist  of  the  foot  and  works  in  connection  with  the  tendon 
Achilles,  becomes  strongly  elastic,  and  the  heel  itself 
becomes  much  smaller,  the  tendon  Achilles  finer,  and 
more  nervous,  and  all  the  thickening  and  swelling  of  this 
tendon,  which  is  usual  under  modern  conditions,  disappear, 
and  it  is  possible  in  many  cases  for  the  foot  to  become  a 
thing  of  beauty,  even  after  having  lived  many  years  in 
a  distorted  condition. 

I  have  gone  into  this  subject  of  the  foot  at  such  length 
on  account  of  its  enormous  importance  in  all  that  has  to 
do  with  the  highest  development  of  balance.  The  more 
perfect  the  development  of  the  human  being  becomes,  the 
more  rudimentary  will  become  the  little  toe,  which  is  only 
needed  in  a  condition  of  uncertain  balance.  The  gradual 
development  of  the  ape  is  sufficient  proof  of  this.  In  the 
period  when  he  used  all  four  limbs  alike,  for  climbing  and 
scrambling,  the  uniform  formation  of  all  four  extremities 
was  that  of  a  hand — he  was  literally  quadrumanous. 
Gradually,  he  became  more  frequently  erect,  and  the 
unaccustomed  strain  of  a  heavy  body  on  only  two  of  the 
limbs  forced  the  knees  outward  and  gave  him  his  bandy 
legs.  His  weight  was  thus  thrown  on  the  outer  edge  of 
the  foot,  the  little  toe  and  its  neighbour  were  specially 
developed,  with  the  result  that  as  the  ape  exists  at  present, 
his  feet  are  wide  at  the  toes.  But  his  toes  are  gradually 
shortening,  and  although  the  knees  are  still  bent,  he  is 
quite  sure  of  himself  on  two  legs.  In  all  primitive  tribes, 
this  widening  of  the  toes  will  be  noticed,  together  with  the 
projecting  heel,  both  being  the  result  of  the  outward  bend 
i6 


TRAINING   OF  THE   FOOT  AS   BASE 

of  the  knee,  to  a  greater  or  lesser  extent  according  to  the 
different  races.  And  as  the  feet  are  the  last  to  change,  in 
many  cases  the  knees  are  already  finely  developed  while  the 
toes  remain  spread,  as,  for  example,  with  that  magnificent 
tribe  the  Zulus,  although  even  there  the  majority  have  still 
the  outward  curve  at  the  knee.  The  large  projecting  heel 
is  also  a  result  of  the  effort  required  to  preserve  an  uncertain 
balance,  and  this,  like  the  little  toe,  becomes  less  than  half 
its  original  size  when  a  perfect  balance  transfers  the  weight- 
centre  to  the  ball  of  the  foot. 

To  this  gradual  straightening  into  an  erect  position  may 
be  ascribed  another  extraordinary  result,  the  importance  of 
which  cannot  be  exaggerated.  The  ape  is  becoming  more 
intelligent;  he  is  developing  into  a  reasoning  animal,  and 
quite  lately  he  has  begun  to  throw  stones  1  I  suggest  that 
this  awakening  of  the  intelligence  may  be  attributed  to  the 
altered  position  of  the  diaphragm,  which  in  the  human  being 
is  the  radiating  centre  of  all  power  and  control  through  the 
medium  of  tension,  and  would  appear  to  have  become  so 
through  the  influence  of  some  unknown  force  operating 
through  the  vertical  only. 

To  return  to  facts,  what  I  wish  to  make  clear  at  this  point 
is  the  connection  between  the  widening  foot  and  the  outward 
bend  of  the  knees  produced  by  uncertain  balance.  When 
that  becomes  true  and  secure,  the  knees  become  gradually 
straighter,  and  the  weight-centre  is  brought  into  so  direct  a 
line  over  its  base  that  a  very  much  narrower  one  suffices,  and 
finally  the  straightened  main  bones  of  the  leg  and  instep  which 
end  at  the  big  toe  are  the  only  ones  required  for  balance. 

17 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

The  result,  then,  of  a  perfect  poise,  is  the  narrowing  of 
the  toes,  with  a  concentration  of  the  movement  upon  the 
three  longest,  and  a  corresponding  diminution  in  the  size  of 
the  heel.  All  sensation  of  balance  has  to  be  transmitted 
through  the  feet,  which  constitute  the  only  normal  point  of 
contact  with  the  earth  for  the  erect  human  being. 

The  feet,  then,  are  the  first  to  register  any  alteration  in 
the  balance,  and  should  for  that  reason  be  the  first  to  receive 
a  care  and  a  training  that  will  enable  them  to  respond 
unerringly  to  a  rapidly-changing  centre  of  gravity. 

It  seems  hardly  necessary  to  point  out  that  this  training 
involves  the  complete  renunciation  of  the  high  heel,  which 
in  itself  means  an  entire  readjustment  of  the  weight  of  the 
body,  and  at  first  it  feels  strangely  unbalanced ;  but  when 
the  springs  reassert  themselves,  as  they  surely  will,  one 
awakens  to  a  new  world,  to  a  consciousness  that  the  familiar 
metaphor  of  "walking  on  air"  has  become  a  reality,  when 
every  touch  of  the  feet  to  the  ground  sends  a  thrill  of 
elasticity  ringing  through  one's  nerves. 

It  may  be  argued  that  the  use  of  the  high  heel  has  the 
effect  of  throwing  the  weight  forward  on  to  the  toes.  This 
is  quite  true,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  toes  in 
this  position  are  rigid,  and  the  angle  at  which  the  foot 
is  unavoidably  placed  on  the  ground  takes  away  all  elasticity 
of  the  tendon  which  forms  the  mainspring  of  the  foot,  so 
that  it  becomes  powerless  from  being  constantly  at  full 
stretch.  The  whole  foot  having  been  made  rigid  under 
these  conditions,  the  weight  of  the  body,  if  held  erect, 
would  naturally  pitch  forward  upon  the  toes ;  but  as  these 
i8 


TRAINING   OF  THE    FOOT   AS    BASE 

are  unable  to  make  any  independent  movement  of  adjust- 
ment, the  balance  has  to  be  saved  by  the  knees,  which 
become  bent  to  prevent  the  fall  forward  of  the  body.  Thus, 
while  the  springs  of  the  instep  are  strained  to  breaking- 
point,  those  of  the  knees  never  reach  their  full  stretch,  and 
eventually  become  contracted.  The  actual  weight  of  the 
body  under  these  conditions  is  thrown  back  upon  the  heel, 
although  the  toes  actually  touch  the  ground  first. 

People  often  object  on  the  score  of  ugliness  to  the 
abolition  of  the  heel  and  the  alteration  of  the  ordinary 
pointed  toe  of  the  modern  shoe,  and  I  confess  that 
everything  I  have  ever  seen  which  claimed  to  be  a 
"naturally"  shaped  or  "hygienic"  shoe  has  been  of  a 
form  that  would  have  made  me  willingly  wear  a  dis- 
tortion forever  rather  than  see  my  foot  in  one  of  these 
exaggerations.  Some  people  may  have  square  feet,  but 
on  the  other  hand  many  of  us  have  not,  and  as  no 
amount  of  assurance  as  to  the  beauty  of  the  straight 
inside  line  will  carry  conviction,  I  have  thought  it  best 
to  give  a  photograph  of  my  actual  shoes. 

Plate  X.  shows  a  pair  of  walking-shoes  with  a 
small  three-quarter  inch  heel,  which  are  identical  with 
those  of  the  indoor  shoes,  but  with  the  small  heel  added 
for  protection  against  street  mud. 

Personally,  I  would  recommend  that  all  shoes  should 
have  equally  thin  pliable  soles,  to  enable  the  springs  of 
the  foot  to  work  freely;  the  movement  thus  promoted, 
together  with  a  soft  felt  inside  sole  for  cold  weather, 
ensures  more  warmth  than  a  thick  hard  sole  can  ever  do. 

19 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

It  may  be  questioned  why  the  professional  dancer, 
when  not  actually  pirouetting  on  the  extreme  point  of 
the  toe,  walks  with  the  natural  heel  very  obviously 
touching  the  ground  first,  although  there  is  no  artificial 
heel  on  the  professional  dancing  sandal.  The  explanation 
is  that  all  professional  dancing  has  been  acquired  at  the 
cost  of  contortion  of  the  toes,  and  of  all  the  muscles 
over  the  instep,  even  in  the  case  of  the  finest  modern 
dancing  as  shown  by  the  Russians. 

This  contortion  makes  possible  for  quite  long  periods 
the  performance  of  marvellous  feats  of  balance  on  the 
extreme  point  of  the  big  toe,  but  when  it  is  not  possible 
to  continue  these  movements  any  longer,  the  weight  of 
the  body  falls  back  inevitably  upon  the  heel  to  relieve 
the  overstrained  toes.  For  this  reason  no  dancer,  how- 
ever wonderful  on  the  stage,  will  be  found  to  have 
beautiful  movements  in  walking,  stage  perfection,  however 
marvellous,  being  the  result  of  trick  work,  possible  only 
to  acrobats,  and  resulting  inevitably  in  the  abnormal 
development  of  certain  muscles  together  with  a  stupendous 
overstrain  of  all  the  vital  organs.  This  it  is  that  makes 
the  life  of  the  professional  dancers  such  a  short  one,  and 
in  Russia  they  are  not  allowed  to  appear  on  the  stage 
after  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-five,  being  considered 
by  then  quite  finished  I 


20 


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CHAPTER    III 

DEFINITION    OF   TENSION 

AT  THE  beginning  of  the  last  chapter,  I  said  that 
the  first  thing  the  Greek  child  learned  when  it 
went  to  the  Palaestra  was,  how  to  attain  in  its 
muscles  a  condition  that  rendered  the  whole  body  master  of 
itself  on  the  instant. 

This  condition  was  one  of  complete  Tension. 

The  meaning  of  this  word  **  Tension "  has  become 
so  distorted  that,  being  confused  with  rigidity,  the  stiffness 
and  strain  of  unnecessary  force,  it  is  generally  considered 
as  a  condition  to  be  avoided. 

The  true  definition  of  Tension  is  "  Elasticity." 

That  which  is  given  in  the  "Elements  of  Dynamics"^ 
is  as  follows :  "  Tension  is  the  stress  when  two  bodies  are 
connected  by  a  string,  and  the  force  exerted  on  either  is 
directed  towards  the  other.  Thus,  when  a  mass  is  suspended 
by  a  string  from  a  fixed  support,  the  force  which  keeps  the 
body  in  its  place  is  directed  upwards,  the  force  which  is 
exerted  on  the  point  of  support  is  directed  downwards." 

This  definition  is  rather  difficult  to  understand  at  first, 
by  reason  of  the  statement  that  "  the  force  exerted  on  either 
is  directed  towards  the  other,"  which  appears  contradictory 
but,  with  a  little  thinking,  becomes  quite  clear. 

Tension  is  obviously  stretch,  or,  to  use  the  technical 
term,   stress,  which   condition  becomes   one   of   elasticity 

^  Rev.  J.  L.  Robinson,  M.A. 

21 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree  according  to  the  material 
subjected  to  it.  This  condition  of  stretch  was  the 
preliminary  essential  for  the  muscles  in  all  exercises  of 
training  performed  by  the  Greeks/ 

Up  to  the  present  time  no  study  whatever  has  been 
made  of  this  essential  condition,  nor  has  any  emphasis 
been  laid  upon  the  fact  that  no  precision  of  movement 
can  be  acquired  without  it.  Yet  it  is  only  when  there 
is  complete  connection,  through  stretch,  of  all  the 
muscles  with  the  centre  of  gravity,  that  any  movement 
can  be  said  to  be  executed  without  strain.  Relaxation 
of  this  stretch  means  disconnection  of  one  set  of  muscles 
with  another,  involving  independent  movements,  inde- 
pendent reactions,  and  proportionate  loss  of  combined 
force;  while  the  maintenance  of  this  connection  through 
stretch,    means   a   condition    in  which    every   muscle    has 

*  In  Professor  Marey's  book  on  Movement  the  following  passages 
occur: 

".  .  .  Is  (the)  elastic  force  of  rebound  due  to  a  physical  property  of 
the  muscles,  or  is  it  due  to  an  additional  expenditure  of  energy?  Weber 
demonstrated  that  a  muscle  when  in  action  acquired,  by  some  intimate  change 
within  its  fibres,  a  greater  elastic  force,  and  that  it  was  this  force  which 
produced  movement.  The  same  thing  happens,  then,  in  a  living  tissue  as  in 
a  steam-engine,  in  which  the  elastic  force  of  a  gas  is  converted  into  work.   .   .   . 

"  Veterinary  experts  have  made  a  special  study  of  the  energy  lost  by  the 
hoofs  striking  the  ground  when  a  horse  is  travelling  at  a  rapid  pace.  They 
maintain  that  the  flexor  of  the  solitary  toe,  which  constitutes  the  foot  of  a 
horse,  is  made  to  a  great  extent  of  elastic  tissue.  It  possesses  in  consequence 
a  physical  property  by  means  of  which  a  more  or  less  important  part  of  the 
vital  energy  lost  in  falling  on  the  feet  is  to  some  extent  returned  in  the  form 
of  energy. 

"  This  subject  deserves  re-investigation.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
discover  whether  tendons  in  man  possess  this  valuable  property  to  any 
noticeable  degree,  and,  if  so,  whether  it  is  retained  through  life." 

The  theory  contained  in  the  following  chapters  may  suggest  an  answer 
to  Professor  Marey's  query. 
22 


DEFINITION   OF   TENSION 

been  called  upon  to  share  in  the  work  required,  having 
been  linked  with  others  which  in  their  turn  come  directly 
in  touch  with  the  weight  to  be  moved,  or  held  still,  as 
the  case  may  be. 

Tension,  then,  is  a  connecting  of  the  farthest  outposts 
with  headquarters ;  headquarters  meaning  in  this  case  the 
centre  of  gravity,  the  centre  of  the  main  weight.  This 
linking  together  of  every  muscle  produces  the  maximum 
of  power  with  the  minimum  of  effort,  resulting  in  move- 
ment all  in  one  piece,  as  it  were. 

If  the  connection  of  the  muscles  be  not  complete,  if 
any  part  of  the  body  is  slack,  it  means  just  so  much  dead 
weight  to  be  carried,  and  just  by  so  much  drag  upon  the 
movement  will  the  rhythm  be  dislocated.  Dislocation 
means  strain  and  fatigue  owing  to  the  disturbance  of 
proportion  of  the  forces  in  activity. 

Imagine  a  sailing  vessel  in  full  sail  with  the  foresail  or 
mizzen  flapping  against  the  mast  I  You  can't  expect  the 
mainsail  alone  to  carry  the  vessel  along  smoothly,  with  a 
dead  weight  of  canvas  swinging  her  out  of  stride.  But  haul 
in  the  ropes,  and  stretch  every  inch  of  canvas  taut  and  tense, 
and  then  see  the  rhythm  and  harmony  that  wake  into  life  I 

The  modern  human  being  has  lost  sight  of  the  fact 
that  the  skeleton  was  not  made  to  support,  alone,  the 
whole  weight  of  the  body,  but  to  facilitate  exactitude  of 
movement  by  its  system  of  leverage.  The  muscles  are  the 
principal  weight-carriers,  and  able,  when  in  a  perfect 
condition  of  tension,  so  to  disperse  the  weight  along  their 
constantly-moving  cords  of  elasticity  that  no  aggregate  of 

23 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

weight  is  ever  felt  at  any  one  point,  and  therefore  no  dead 

weight  of  fatigue  is  possible.     It  is  at  the  waist  that   the 

lack   of   tension    in    the   modern    human    being    is    most 

apparent,    there    being    nothing    but    the    spine    as    bone 

support  for  all  that  part  of  the  body  which  extends  from 

the  lower  ribs  to  the   hips.      But  in  reality  there  is  the 

muscle  of   the  diaphragm  going  through  the  centre  and 

those  of  the  abdomen  in  front,  while  at  the  back  are  those 

forming   a   thick   band   on   each    side   of   the    spine   and 

spreading  up  and  around  the  sides  as  the  latissimus  dorsi. 

These  central  muscles  of   the  diaphragm,  abdomen,  and 

back   are    practically    powerless    in    the   average    modern 

human    being — in    the    case    of   women,    on    account    of 

strongly-boned   corsets  which  preclude  all  free  movement 

of  this  part  of  the  body;  and  in  the  case  of  men,  from  a 

general  slackness,  perhaps  a  reaction  from  an  earlier  period 

of  exaggerated  stiffness.     The  result  of  chronic  slackness 

in  these  muscles  is  the  crumpling-up  of  the  waist  and  the 

setthng  down  of  the  body  into  the  hips,  very  much  like  an 

egg  in  an  egg-cup.     The  constant  pressure  and  dead  weight 

of  all  the  upper  part  of  the  body  on  the  hips  puts  the  whole 

strain  on  the   hip   muscles,   which   become    exaggeratedly 

developed,  while  those   of   the  abdomen  and  the    cuirass 

muscles  on  each  side  of  it  are  practically  non-existent. 

The  most  noticeable  result  of  the  condition  of  tension 
in  the  Greeks  was  the  invariable  slimness  of  hip,  not  only 
in  the  men  but  in  the  women  also.  This  was  due  to  the 
proper  development  of  the  waist  muscles  and  those  of 
the  back,  which  was  sufficient  to  keep  the  upper  part  of 
24 


X 

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DEFINITION   OF  TENSION 

the  body  lifted  from  the  socket  of  the  pelvis  and  allow 
of  an  infinitely  freer  movement  of  the  hips.  This  in  itself 
was  sufficient  to  keep  the  hips  fine  and  slim/ 

The  new-born  infant  begins  life  with  a  very  strong, 
little  diaphragm,  and  all  movement  for  the  first  weeks  of 
its  life  is  centred  there.  Later  on,  it  discovers  that  it  has 
limbs,  and  as  it  grows  older  the  discoveries  extend  to  hands 
and  feet  and  finally  fingers  and  toes,  while  the  nervous 
muscular  centre  of  the  diaphragm  becomes  forgotten  by 
the  child  and  neglected  in  its  later  training.  But  here,  in 
the  very  centre  of  what  seems  to  be  the  softest  part  of  the 
body,  lies  hidden  the  dynamo  of  the  magic  current  of 
tension,  which  can  be  turned  on  at  will  and  sent  racing 
through  muscles  prepared  to  receive  it,  flooding  them  with 
force  and  with  fire,  transforming  them  into  living,  vibrating 
cords,  responsive  to  every  command  of  the  will,  so  that 
motion  becomes,  in  fact,  will-power  made  visible. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  assert  that  all  the  evils  of 
mal-development  come  from  the  neglect  of  this  part  of 
the  body,  and  all  beauty  and  strength  and  perfect  balance 
from  the  care  of  it.  I  have  pointed  out  that  the  increasing 
intelligence   of   the    ape   may  reasonably   be   ascribed    to 

^  One  of  my  pupils  discovered  not  long  ago,  in  the  British  Museum,  the 
vase-picture  represented  on  Plate  XI.,  and,  struck  by  the  similarity  in  the 
teaching  of  the  Greek  master  to  those  principles  emphasised  by  myself,  had 
the  picture  photographed  and  I  reproduce  it  here.  Note  the  position  of  the 
pupil  in  which  every  muscle  is  slack,  how  the  air  of  depression  is  increased 
Ijy  the  design  above  his  head  which  the  artist  has  made  with  an  intentional 
overshadowing  bend,  that  he  might  emphasise  to  the  utmost  the  slackness  and 
weighed-down  appearance  of  the  pupil.  Then  look  at  the  Master,  and  note 
the  strength  and  uplift  of  his  poise,  which  again  is  emphasised  by  the  direc- 
tion of  the  design.     Surely  a  fine  object-lesson  this,  in  the  art  of  Tension! 

25 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  development  of  the  diaphragm  resulting  from  the 
gradually  -  increasing  erectness  of  carriage.  With  the 
straightening  of  the  spine,  the  expansion  of  the  lungs,  and 
the  lifted  poise  of  the  head,  the  diaphragm  develops  a  new 
power,  and  becomes  henceforth  the  generator  of  a  different 
order  of  activity,  the  centre  of  a  perfected  balance,  and  the 
medium  of  a  higher  control. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  experiments  are  being 
carried  on  in  America  in  connection  with  the  walk  of  low- 
class  criminals.  It  has  been  found  that  they  habitually 
drag  their  feet  along  the  ground  instead  of  raising  them. 
One  of  the  experiments  consists  in  making  them  walk  over 
blocks  of  wood  in  the  exercise-yard.  This  has  necessitated 
a  greater  effort  of  balance  and  consequently  a  straighter 
back ;  and  even  this  simple  experiment  has  been  found  to 
ameliorate  very  definitely  the  mental  condition. 

Looking  at  an  ordinary  class-room  of  boys  or  girls,  or 
a  lecture-room  full  of  men  and  women,  the  first  thing  that 
strikes  one  is  the  prevalence  of  the  so-called  "  round- 
shouldered "  position.  And  yet  none  of  them  are  really 
round-shouldered.  It  is  a  very  difficult  thing  to  change 
the  position  of  the  shoulders.  To  bring  them  forward,  and 
keep  them  so  for  more  than  a  moment,  is  extremely  tiring, 
and  the  modern  human  being  is  not  keen  on  unnecessary 
effort.  What  one  really  sees  in  these  lecture-rooms  is  not 
round  shoulders  but  slack  diaphragms,  a  much  greater  evil, 
and  the  cause  of  all  the  fidgety  unrest  that  takes  hold  of 
audiences  when  obliged  to  sit  still  for  more  than  half  an 
hour.  A  very  simple  experiment  will  prove  the  fallacy  of 
26 


DEFINITION   OF  TENSION 

the  "  round  shoulder."  If  one  sits  in  an  ordinary  straight- 
backed  chair,  at  right  angles  to  a  mirror,  in  the  so-called 
round-shouldered  way,  it  will  be  noticed  that,  while  the 
shoulders  themselves  lean  against  the  back  of  the  chair,  the 
base  of  the  spine  will  be  several  inches  in  front  of  it.  Thus 
the  whole  strain  falls  upon  the  small  of  the  back,  which  at 
once  gives  way  and  curves  outward,  while  the  waist 
collapses  in  front  and  curves  inward,  giving  the  effect  of  a 
huddled-up,  round-shouldered  position.  The  reversal  of 
these  curves  is  produced  by  sitting  farther  back,  so  that 
the  base  of  the  spine  touches  the  back  of  the  chair.  This 
pushes  out  the  diaphragm  in  front,  which  movement  places 
the  upper  part  of  the  body  in  a  correctly-balanced  position, 
which,  so  long  as  the  diaphragm  remains  firm,  may  be 
maintained  for  long  periods  without  the  slightest  effort,  the 
centre  of  gravity  being  exactly  over  its  support,  which  in 
sitting  should  be  the  base  of  the  spine.  This  position 
reduces  to  a  minimum  the  ache  of  a  long  day's  motoring, 
and  the  discomfort  of  lecture-room  chairs,  while  it  entirely 
does  away  with  all  appearance  of  round  shoulders.  And 
the  alteration  in  appearance  and  comfort  has  been  made  by 
the  movement  of  the  waist  alone,  by  the  raising  and  stretch- 
ing of  the  diaphragm  from  its  ordinary  crumpled-up,  con- 
tracted condition.  This  stretching  of  the  diaphragm, 
involving  as  it  does  a  straightening  of  the  spine,  has  also  a 
definite  effect  upon  the  power  of  concentrating  the  mind 
on  any  particular  subject.  Look  at  the  poise  of  the  seated 
Buddhas  in  India,  China,  and  Japan;  note  the  vertical  spine, 
the  perfect  poise  of  the  head,  and  the  gracious  attitude  of 

27 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  shoulders.  They  knew  the  importance  of  the  correct 
sitting  posture  as  an  aid  to  deep  thought. 

To  return,  then,  the  preliminary  essential  condition  for 
all  perfectly-balanced  movement  is  that  of  full  stretch. 
Henceforth,  this  stretching  into  Tension  of  the  whole 
body  will  be  termed  the  Preliminary  Position,  and  it  must 
be  clearly  understood  from  the  first  that  any  exercising 
apart  from  this  condition  is  practically  useless  where  fine 
balance  and  precision  of  movement  are  aimed  at. 

This  preliminary  stretching  may  appear  quite  an  easy 
performance,  but  in  reality  it  is  the  most  complicated  of 
all,  and  when  this  becomes  easy  of  accomplishment,  all 
difficulty  of  balance  will  have  disappeared,  and  the  student 
will  have  a  clear  road  before  him,  with  the  certainty  of 
being  able  to  perform  the  most  intricate  changes  of  move- 
ment with  the  greatest  ease. 

Here,  then,  are  the  detailed  instructions  for  obtaining 
this  Preliminary  Position: 

Begin  by  placing  the  feet  close  together,  so  that  the 
heels  and  the  whole  of  the  inside  Hne  of  the  feet  are 
touching,  the  weight  of  the  body  well  forward  over  the 
ball  of  the  foot.  Although  the  heels  may  just  touch 
the  ground,  there  must  be  no  weight  on  them.  The 
arms  should  be  drawn  down  to  their  full  length  at  the 
sides,  with  fingers  pressed  together  but  fully  extended. 
Now,  lift  the  chin  (but  without  pushing  the  neck  too  far 
back  on  the  spine),  and  raise  the  head  well  up  from 
the  shoulders  by  drawing  the  neck  muscles  up  to 
their  full  stretch.  This  movement  is  followed  by  the 
28 


DEFINITION  OF   TENSION 

pulling  up  of  the  waist  muscles  with  a  simultaneous  down- 
ward stretch  of  the  arms  to  prevent  hunching  up  the 
shoulders.  Great  care  must  be  taken  not  to  contract  the 
diaphragm  unnaturally  by  holding  the  breath  while  stretch- 
ing it.  Any  check  on  the  breathing  produces  rigidity,  and 
therefore  the  stretching  of  all  muscles  into  this  condition 
of  Tension  must  be  done  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  interfere 
with  the  free  movement  of  the  lungs  or  joints.  The 
pulling  up  of  the  waist  muscles  really  constitutes  a  drawing 
up  of  the  body  away  from  the  legs,  as  it  were,  which  should 
make  the  counter  stretch  downwards. 

On  the  accurate  performance  of  this  movement  of  the 
diaphragm  depends  the  perfect  balance  of  the  whole  body 
when  completely  tensed.  When  any  loss  of  balance  takes 
place,  it  is  invariably  at  the  waist,  and  the  appearance  of 
the  average  modern  human  being  when  making  the  least 
effort  at  special  balance  is  that  of  having  a  great  deal  too 
much  "top  hamper,"  which  graphic  expression  best  conveys 
my  meaning.  Here,  as  I  said  before — in  the  middle  of 
the  diaphragm— is  placed  the  dynamo  which  sends  out  the 
current  of  Tension  the  moment  the  muscles  are  stretched 
enough  to  receive  it.  Here  also  lies  the  centre  of  gravity, 
the  immovable  point  from  which  all  movement  should 
radiate.  It  is  interesting  to  notice  that  when  this  part  of 
the  body  is  under  perfect  control,  movement  in  water 
becomes  a  thing  of  extraordinary  beauty  and  ease,  depending 
as  it  does  almost  entirely  on  the  muscles  of  the  diaphragm 
— a  little  twist,  a  bend,  a  straightening  of  the  waist,  and 
the  rapid  gliding  turn  of  a  fish  is  the  result. 

29 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

In  walking,  the  complete  immobility  of  the  diaphragm 
is  required  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  support  for  the  whole 
body,  during  movement,  is  the  foot;  in  the  water,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  weight  is  distributed  equally  over  the  whole 
surface  of  the  body,  and  the  centre  of  gravity  is  free  to 
radiate  movement  in  all  directions,  having  no  longer  any 
weight  to  be  controlled  on  one  point  as  base. 

The  next  movement  which  follows  the  upward  stretch 
of  neck  and  waist,  and  the  forcing  downwards  of  the  arms, 
is  the  bracing  of  the  knee  muscles.  This  should  be 
effected  by  a  definite  movement  of  pushing  the  knee-cap 
back  as  far  as  possible.  This  draws  up  the  muscles  directly 
behind  the  knee  to  their  full  stretch  from  the  heel.  The  foot 
muscles  are  now  the  only  ones  remaining  unstretched,  and 
this  should  be  done  by  rising  well  up  on  to  the  ball  of  the 
toes,  so  that  the  whole  strain  of  the  tensed  body  comes  on 
the  spring  underneath  the  instep,  which  should  be  raised 
so  as  to  form  an  acute  angle  with  the  ground.  On  this 
acute  angle  spring  the  whole  weight  of  the  balancing  body 
should  play  when  in  complete  Tension.  The  correctness 
of  the  position  when  all  these  movements  have  been  com- 
pleted may  be  tested  by  standing  in  profile  before  a  mirror. 
If  the  balance  is  perfect,  it  will  be  possible  to  draw  an 
imaginary  line  from  behind  the  ear,  passing  through  the 
shoulder,  hip  and  the  knee,  and  ending  at  the  ball  of 
the  foot  just  behind  the  toes.  Plate  XII.  will,  I  hope, 
render  the  explanation  perfectly  clear.  In  the  profile 
photograph,  the  vertical  line  test  may  be  applied,  when  it 
will  be  found  that  it  passes  through  all  the  points  named. 
30 


X 

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DEFINITION   OF  TENSION 

Plates  XII/  and  XII.^  show  an  alternative  method  of 
arriving  at  the  full-waist  stretch  for  those  who  find  the 
method  already  explained  too  difficult.  The  effort  of  trying 
to  reach  at  something  high  above  the  head  is  in  many 
cases  a  help ;  and,  after  having  stretched  the  waist  as  much 
as  possible  by  these  means,  the  arms  should  be  lowered  to  a 
horizontal  position,  for  an  instant,  and  finally  brought  down 
to  the  sides,  great  care  being  taken  not  to  let  the  muscles 
of  the  waist  collapse  with  the  lowering  of  the  arms. 
Plate  XII. ^  is  the  completed  position  taken  full  face,  Plate 
XII. ^  is  the  same  in  profile,  and  is  the  best  for  careful 
study  of  detail. 

After  what  I  said  about  heels  in  the  first  chapter,  it 
seems  hardly  necessary  to  repeat  that  during  the  perform- 
ance of  all  exercises,  either  very  thin-soled  dancing  sandals 
should  be  worn,  or  no  shoes  at  all. 

An  effort  should  be  made,  when  in  this  Preliminary 
Position,  to  rise  several  times  on  the  toes,  great  care  being 
taken  to  keep  the  rest  of  the  body  absolutely  immobile, 
so  that  the  rise  and  fall  may  be  in  a  strictly  vertical  line, 
the  movement  being  made  by  the  acute  angle  spring  of 
the  instep. 


31 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE   FUNDAMENTAL    PRINCIPLES   OF   MOVEMENT 

HAVING  placed  the  body  in  the  right  condition 
for  definite  exercise,  I  shall  now  explain  the 
principle  on  which  the  movements  are  based,  a 
principle  so  purely  mathematical  that  it  applies  not  only 
to  the  special  set  of  what  I  shall  term  basic  exercises,  but 
to  all  movement,  however  simple.  It  will  therefore  be 
necessary,  before  giving  a  detailed  explanation  of  these  ex- 
ercises, to  make  a  short  analysis  of  movement  in  general. 
Roughly  speaking,  one  may  divide  movement  into  two 
distinct  types,  which  I  shall  call  disconnected  and  sequential 
respectively.  These  different  types  of  movement  produce 
entirely  different  results  both  physically  and  psychologi- 
cally. It  is  with  sequential  movement  alone  that  the 
exercises  which  follow  are  concerned ;  but  in  order  that  the 
point  of  contrast  between  the  two  may  be  defined,  I  shall 
first  explain  what  I  mean  by  disconnected  movement.  This 
may  be  formed  of  a  series  of  different  positions  with  pauses 
between  them.  The  pauses  need  not  necessarily  disorganise 
the  series,  but  the  fact  of  being  able  to  stop  between  the 
successive  positions  allows  their  performance  to  become 
purely  mechanical  when  once  they  have  been  practised 
separately  and  become  easy  of  execution.  Such  move- 
ments consist  almost  invariably  of  the  flexion  and  extension 
of  the  muscles  of  different  parts  of  the  body  in  turn,  and 

32 


FUNDAMENTAL   PRINCIPLES  OF   MOVEMENT 

are  necessarily  very  limited.  The  check  between  each 
position,  whether  for  a  long  or  short  interval,  produces  a 
corresponding  break  in  the  attention,  during  which  it  is 
possible  to  think  of  other  things.  This  is  the  result  of 
all  movement  which,  with  a  Httle  practice,  may  become 
mechanical. 

Sequential  movement,  on  the  other  hand,  presupposes 
a  following-on,  an  uninterrupted  continuity.  If  this  is 
broken  in  any  way  the  sequence  is  destroyed  and  a  recom- 
mencement from  the  beginning  is  necessitated.  It  is 
impossible  for  sequential  movement  to  become  mechanical, 
on  account  of  the  extraordinary  type  of  concentration 
needed  to  perform  a  number  of  varied  movements  with 
unbroken  continuity — a  concentration  that  obliges  the 
mind  to  pass  rapidly  from  one  point  to  another  with 
unhesitating  certainty,  while  yet  retaining  a  clear  idea  of 
the  sequence  as  a  whole.  In  these  two  types  of  move- 
ment— disconnected  and  sequential — we  get  the  physio- 
logical analogy  of  habit  and  interest ;  habit  being  repre- 
sented by  all  that  may  become  mechanical,  and  interest 
by  all  that  involves  thought-initiative.  And  in  habit  and 
interest  are  found  what  Professor  Baldwin  so  aptly  describes 
as  the  "  psychological  poles,  corresponding  to  the  lowest 
and  highest  in  the  activities  of  the  nervous  system." 
Sequential  movement  involves  a  smooth,  unchecked 
following-on  of  many  changes  of  position,  regulated  by  a 
balance  perfect  enough  to  produce  definite  rhythm,  and 
these  changes  of  position  are  not  arbitrary,  but  are 
necessarily   related,  and   involve  a  tense   connection   with 

33 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  centre  of  gravity,  without  which  there  must  always  be 
a  great  waste  of  force  through  confHcting  strains. 

On  accurate  balance,  then,  depends  the  economy  of 
force  which,  in  movement,  expresses  the  greatest  beauty, 
giving  as  it  does  an  appearance  of  ease  and  lightness 
obtained  by  the  equal  distribution  of  weight  over  perfectly- 
tensed  muscles,  so  that  the  centre  of  gravity  is  exactly 
over  its  base.  It  is  comparatively  easy  to  keep  the  centre 
of  gravity  over  its  base  when  the  body  is  stationary.  The 
difficulty  arises  when  the  weight  begins  to  move,  and  the 
base  has  to  be  constantly  changed. 

Take,  for  example,  the  simplest  of  all  sequential  move- 
ments—walking. The  act  of  passing  the  weight  from 
one  foot  to  another  results  as  a  rule  in  an  effort  to  feel 
forward  for  a  new  base  before  allowing  the  main  weight  of 
the  body  to  trust  to  it,  thus  producing  the  jerky  movement 
that  gives  the  impression  of  a  leg  at  each  corner,  so  to 
speak.  The  way  to  avoid  this  jerky  movement  in  walking 
is  to  carry  the  whole  weight  forward  at  the  same  time  as 
the  advancing  foot,  which  can  only  be  done  if  the  whole 
body  is  in  the  condition  of  elastic  tension  already 
described.  The  law  of  rhythmical  movement  which  gives 
the  ideal  poise  requires  that  the  centre  of  gravity  of  a 
moving  weight  should  be  kept  constant  over  its  base. 
Hence  the  enormous  importance  of  a  reliable  base  and 
the  care  required  to  avoid  distortion  of  the  feet.  The 
observance  of  this  law  reduces  to  about  half,  the  effort 
necessary  in  walking,  while  it  increases  to  nearly  double, 
the  pace  at  which  the  ground  is  covered.     This  accelera- 

34 


FUNDAMENTAL   PRINCIPLES  OF   MOVEMENT 

tion,  under  conditions  of  perfect  balance,  forms  the  strong 
point  of  contrast  between  sequential  and  disconnected 
movement.  All  disconnection  means  angles ;  angles  imply 
resistance ;  and  resistance  involves  reaction,  which  results 
in  the  loss  of  exactly  half  the  force,  according  to  the 
dynamic  law  that  action  and  reaction  are  equal  and 
opposite.  Disconnection,  therefore,  expresses  the  Finite 
thing.  Continuity  can  only  be  expressed  by  curves. 
Sequential  movement,  by  being  circular,  is  capable  of 
extraordinary  acceleration  by  reason  of  its  non-resistance, 
and  thus  represents  the  maximum  force.  Sequential 
movement,  therefore,  expresses  the  thing  that  is  Infinite. 
Perfect  sequential  movement — by  which  I  mean  that 
which  maintains  a  perfect  equilibrium  throughout — can 
only  be  performed  in  the  condition  of  complete  Tension 
already  described.  This,  it  will  be  remembered,  involves 
the  linking  together  of  all  the  muscles  at  full  stretch. 
The  more  complete  this  linking  together,  the  less  visible 
becomes  the  effort,  so  that  the  highest  degree  of  Tension, 
although  representing  the  most  complicated  vibratory 
movement  of  all  the  muscles,  is  the  only  condition  in 
which  perfect  stillness  can  be  maintained.  The  fact  of 
having  reached  the  climax  of  the  combination  of  many 
positives  results  in  the  stillness  of  apparent  negation;  as,  for 
example,  the  vibratory  combination  of  many  coloured  rays 
produces  light,  which  is  colourless. 

In  connection  with  this  idea  of  movement  becoming 
invisible  when  it  is  the  result  of  combined  and  perfectly- 
balanced    effort,    the    late    Edouard    Rod    once    wrote    a 

35 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

description  in  the  Figaro  of  the  Temple  of  Neptune  at 
Paestum,  in  which  he  expresses  very  beautifully  in  its 
application  to  architecture  the  idea  of  movement  becoming 
invisible  when  it  is  the  result  of  combined  and  perfectly- 
balanced  effort : 

**  II  est  trds  fort,  mais  d'une  force  assez  sQre  d'elle- 
mfeme  pour  s'apaiser,  et  pour  arriver  ^  la  grace,  la  vraie 
grace,  qui  n'a  rien  k  faire  avec  la  ddbilite  ...  II 
n'est  que  de  la  force  amincie,  encore  plus  acquise  et  plus 
intrinseque  puisqu'elle  devient  moins  visible."  .  . 
More  inherent,  more  real,  as  the  effort  becomes  less 
visible.  This  is  the  ideal  strength;  and  the  basic 
principles  of  the  finest  architecture  are  the  same  as  those 
which  govern  human  movement,  viz.,  the  power  of  lift 
and  expansion  on  a  reliable  base.^ 

When  once  these  principles  are  clearly  understood, 
they  may  be  applied,  not  only  to  definite  exercises,  but 
to  all  sports,  as  also  to  the  unconscious  everyday  move- 
ment of  life,  with  the  certainty  of  finding  a  more 
complete  order  of  activity,  a  stronger  current  of  force, 
a  new  power  of  control. 

In  selecting  and  systematising  different  series  of 
sequential  movements  which  shall  be  perfectly  natural, 
one  turns  instinctively  to  those  needed  in  imaginary 
attack  and  defence,  not  only  on  account  of  the  great 
variety  of  these  positions,  but  because  of  the  rapidity  with 
which  they  must  be  performed.     The  origin,  then,  of  all 

1  Michael  Angelo  maintained  that,  to  an  architect,  a  knowledge  of  anat- 
omy is  essential. 

36 


FUNDAMENTAL   PRINCIPLES  OF   MOVEMENT 

physical  training  is  war.  Among  primitive  peoples, 
it  was  necessary  to  be  always  on  guard  against  sudden 
attacks.  For  this  reason,  during  times  of  peace,  they 
practised  at  first  a  sort  of  mimic  war,  which  gradually 
developed  into  a  sport.  The  Greeks  ascribed  the  invention 
of  wrestling  to  mythical  persons  such  as  Palaestra,  the 
daughter  of  Hermes,  and  to  Theseus  is  given  the  honour 
of  having  been  the  first  to  reduce  the  sport  to  a  game, 
with  well-defined  rules,  and  thus  to  have  made  an  art  of 
wrestling ;  whereas  before  his  time  it  consisted  of  the 
most  brutal  fighting,  in  which  the  strength  and  weight 
of  the  adversary  alone  decided  the  victory. 

In  the  mimic  battles  of  the  Spartans,  they  frequently 
lost  eyes  and  ears,  which  tortures  they  accepted  as  the 
necessary  sacrifice  in  return  for  the  indomitable  fortitude 
which  they  acquired. 

At  a  later  date,  the  system  adopted  by  the  Athenians 
had  for  aim  beauty  of  form  and  line,  and  grace  of  move- 
ment, and  no  competitor  was  awarded  a  prize  unless  his 
performance  had  been  gracefully  as  well  as  effectively 
achieved.  Contest  by  wrestling  was  divided  into  two 
branches  by  the  ancient  Greeks.  The  first  was  the  "  Pale 
Orthe,"  the  upright  wrestling.  The  second  was  called 
"  Halendesis  "  or  "  Kylisis,"  in  which  the  athlete  wrestled 
with  his  adversary  on  the  ground.  The  "Pale  Orthe" 
was  the  only  kind  of  wrestling  practised  in  Homeric  times, 
and  also  later  on  in  the  National  Games  of  the  Greeks. 
The  rules  provided  that  on  the  fall  of  an  athlete  his 
adversary  should  allow  him  to  rise  and  resume  the  contest 

37 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

if  he  wished,  but  if  he  fell  three  times,  the  victory  was 
decided  in  favour  of  the  other.  There  were  also  prepara- 
tory exercises  called  "  Analeinemata,"  exercises  which 
were  looked  upon  as  of  the  greatest  importance,  since 
through  them  alone  could  the  athlete  acquire  that  tense 
elasticity  of  muscle  necessary  for  the  extreme  rapidity 
required  in  actual  wrestling. 

It  is,  then,  natural  to  suppose  that  the  preparatory 
movements  represented  as  nearly  as  possible  the  actual 
positions  taken  in  wrestling,  so  that  by  continued  practice 
the  pupil  might  arrive  at  the  unhesitating  certainty  and 
precision  needed  in  the  varied  changes  of  position  of  real 
contest. 

Antique  Art  gives  many  examples  of  this  extraordinarily 
rapid  form  of  wrestHng  by  tripping.  It  appeared  many 
centuries  later  among  the  Chinese,  brought  back  probably 
through  their  intercourse  with  the  Persians.  The  form 
of  wrestling  called  Jujutsu,  practised  by  the  Japanese  of 
the  present  day,  is,  I  am  convinced,  a  survival  of  the 
"  Pale  Orthe  "  of  the  Greeks.  The  collection  of  tracings 
on  page  39,  taken  from  Professor  Krause's  book 
"  Hellenika  Gymnastik  und  Agonistik, "  show  the  close 
resemblance  of  some  of  the  Japanese  throws  used  in 
Jujutsu,  to  those  of  the  Greeks.  No.  1,  especially,  is 
identical  with  the  Koshinage  shoulder  throw,  in  which 
the  thrower  drops  on  his  knees  after  having  hoisted 
his  opponent  upon  his  shoulder.  This  throw  can  be 
given  standing  or  kneeling,  but  the  latter  position  is  much 
more  disastrous  to  the  victim.  No.  2  is  obviously  the 
38 


^FUNDAMENTAL   PRINCIPLES   OF   MOVEMENT 

Koshinage  hip-throw,  as  used  in  Jujutsu  at  the  present 
day,  and  No.  4  has  a  very  close  resemblance  to  the 
Japanese  "  Shimoku,"  the  position  of  the  attacker's  left 
hand  being  the  only  essential  difference,  while  he  is 
practically   erect,    instead    of    crouching    on    bent    knees. 


Fig     I. 


Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3- 


Fig.  4- 


The  "  Pale  Orthe  "  was  introduced  into  Japan  by  a  China- 
man about  the  third  or  fourth  century,  under  the  name  of 
"  Jujutsu,"  and  rem.ained  a  jealously-guarded  secret  known 
to  and  practised  by  the  Samurai  nobles  alone,  until  com- 
paratively a  few  years  ago— in  1860,  I  think— when  the 
general   public  were  allowed  to  learn.     With  the  strange 

39 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

liking  of  the  Chinese  for  all  that  represents  the  grotesque 
in  movement,  they  neglected,  and  eventually  completely 
lost,  all  the  grace  and  beauty  esteemed  by  the  Greeks 
as  indispensable,  and  retained  only  the  dramatic  and 
practical  sides  of  wrestling,  the  genuine  self-defence, 
which,  among  the  Greeks,  was  subordinated  to  beauty. 

It  is,  then,  upon  the  preparatory  movements  that  I 
place  such  immense  importance,  and  it  was  during  the 
study  of  all  the  rapid  changes  of  position  in  this  "  Pale 
Orthe,"  which  demand  such  exquisite  balance,  that  I  found 
for  myself  the  Law  of  Balance  in  movement,  the 
application  of  which  allows  of  the  greatest  rapidity  and 
force  with  the  least  expenditure  of  energy.  This  law, 
as  I  have  said,  requires  the  centre  of  gravity  of  a  moving 
body  to  be  kept  exactly  and  continuously  over  its  base, 
an  impossible  achievement  except  under  the  condition 
of  Tension  already  described. 


40 


CHAPTER   V^ 

THE   APPLICATION    OF    MATHEMATICS   TO 
HUMAN    MOVEMENT 

IN  the  last  chapter  I  spoke  of  the  different  movements 
of  the  exercises  as  being  necessarily  related  to  one 
another,  bound  by  certain  laws  which  allow  of  no 
arbitrary  change. 

Movement  which  is  bound  by  law  becomes  geo- 
metrical, and  geometrical  law  makes  it  impossible  to  vary 
the  formation  of  a  curve  beyond  the  limits  of  difference  in 
size  according  as  the  relation  between  the  curve  and  its 
pivot  is  altered. 

The  centre  of  gravity  of  the  combined  curves  produced 
by  the  movements  of  human  limbs  in  space  is  the  same  as 
that  for  each  individual  curve,  for  the  reason  that  the 
connection  of  each  limb  takes  place  at  the  same  spot, 
viz.,  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  main  weight  through 
which  passes  the  axis  of  balance.  When  this  vertical  axis 
is  in  perfect  equilibrium  the  limbs  form  the  varying  radii 
of  a  common  axis,  and  the  law  which  governs  the  mass 
governs  each  part ;  therefore  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the 
combined  mass  of  curves  is  the  same  as  for  each  individual 
curve,  and  is  found  in  the  vertical  axis  through  the  pivot. 
As  long  as  this  remains  stable,  the  curves  described  by  the 

^  In  connection  with  this  chapter,  I  would  like  to  state  beforehand  what 
will  doubtless  be  apparent,  that  I  have  never  been  taught  mathematics.  It  is 
written  for  the  average  reader,  for  whom  I  hope  it  will  present  no  difficulty 
or  ambiguity. 

41 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

moving  limbs  are  true,  that  is  to  say,  they  submit  to 
geometrical  analysis.  I  conceive  a  true  curve  to  be  one 
which  is  projected  in  regular  and  proportional  sequence 
with  relation  to  its  centre.  The  radii  of  a  circle  are  equal 
in  length,  and  it  is  a  true  curve.  A  true  curve  may  also 
be  one  whose  radii  vary  in  length  with  regular  sequence. 
A  false  curve,  to  me,  would  be  one  whose  radii  have  been 
subjected  to  irregular  variation. 

In  preference  to  the  word  "pivot"  I  would  like  to  use 
the  expression  "axis  of  balance,"  as  giving  a  fuller  concep- 
tion of  centre  of  gravity  in  space  than  is  represented  by  a 
pivot  on  a  plane  surface. 

The  axis  of  balance  is  the  vertical  line  through  the 
pivot  about  which  the  object  turns,  so  in  the  case  of  the 
human  being  we  will  assume  that  it  is  the  vertical  line 
already  mentioned  from  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  main 
weight  both  upwards  and  downwards  to  its  base,  which 
latter  constitutes  the  pivot,  viz.,  the  only  point  of 
weight  contact  on  the  horizontal  plane.  I  specially  use  the 
word  "weight-contact,"  because,  although  curves  formed 
by  the  changes  of  movement  of  a  human  being  come  into 
occasional  contact  with  the  ground,  there  is  no  moment 
when  any  of  the  weight  suspended  over  the  pivot  is  trans- 
ferred to  the  moving  limb,  which  merely  touches  the 
ground  from  time  to  time  to  mark  the  points  of  angles 
formed  in  the  course  of  changing  direction. 

The  position  of  the  pivot  itself  can  be  altered  from 
time  to  time,  thus  varying  the  direction  of  the  curves,  but 
this  variation  of  direction  in  no  way  falsifies  the  curves 
42 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

themselves,  which  are  dependent  only  on  their  axis.  Only 
when  the  axis  itself  vacillates  do  the  curves  become  untrue; 
that  is  to  say,  when  it  has  lost  tense  connection  with  its 
curve-making  limb  through  the  strain  necessitated  by  the 
maintenance  of  balance  under  a  false  equilibrium. 

Given  this  connection  under  inalterable  conditions,  the 
pivot  itself  may  describe  continuous  and  independent 
curves  simultaneously  with  the  moving  arm  and  still 
govern  those  arm  curves,  provided  the  connection  between 
the  two  is  allowed  freedom  of  movement. 

Some  intensely  interesting  discoveries  were  made  in 
this  subject  a  few  years  ago  by  Colonel  Hippisley,  R.  E., 
who  gave  a  lecture  at  the  Royal  Society  in  1904,  at  which 
he  showed  numerous  complicated  designs  illustrating  the 
extraordinary  unexpected  figures  produced  by  a  moving 
arm  whose  pivot  was  itself  travelling  round  an  ellipse 
continuously.^ 

He  constructed  an  instrument  in  which  one  small 
wheel  was  fixed  to  a  horizontal  bar,  which  at  one  end 
held  the  point  or  pivot  which  was  made  to  describe  an 
ellipse.  The  movement  of  the  vertical  pivot  point  was 
continuous,  and  the  movement  of  the  following  wheel 
at  the  end  of  the  bar  was  free  as  far  as  lateral  play  on  its 
guiding  pivot  was  concerned;  but  according  as  the  bar 
itself  was  lengthened  or  shortened,  so  did  the  curves  of 
the  following  wheel  vary,  and  the  designs  formed  become 
more  or  less  complicated. 

*  I  am  indebted  to  Colonel  Hippisley  for  the  privilege  of  being  allowed 
to  reproduce  for  the  first  time  three  of  his  designs. 

43 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF  THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

Colonel  Hippisley  eventually  discovered  a  certain  ratio 
between  the  wheel  and  its  pivot  which  produced  curves 
that  ultimately  repeated  themselves  over  exactly  the  same 
lines,  so  that  they  became  changeless  and  endless. 

The  variation  of  a  hair's  breadth  in  the  length  of  the 
bar  produced  completely  different  curves;  and  in  all 
designs  except  this  particular  one  of  the  repeating  curves, 
the  wheel  eventually  ran  out  of  the  figure  altogether. 

Colonel  Hippisley  has  most  kindly  allowed  me  to 
reproduce  three  of  these  geometrical  figures.  Plate  XIII. 
shows  the  one  in  which  the  curves  become  changeless 
and  endless.  Plates  XIV.  and  XV.  show  the  result  of 
alterations  in  the  length  of  the  bar,  where  the  following 
wheel,  after  numerous  complicated  gyrations  forced  upon 
it  by  the  track  of  the  guiding  pivot  round  the  ellipse,  runs 
out  of  the  figure  at  a  tangent.  As  regards  the  solution 
of  the  problems  which  his  own  genius  has  discovered,  he 
says  that  mathematical  difficulties  prevented  the  complete 
analysis  of  the  curves  from  being  set  out. 

And  so  these  wonderful  and  exquisite  designs  remain 
in  a  drawer  for  some  future  Euclid  to  elucidate.  There 
seems  some  possibility  that  the  elucidation  might  be  of 
service  in  astronomical  calculations,  where  the  ellipse 
would  appear  the  most  frequent  form  of  planetary  move- 
ment; and  the  idea  presents  itself  of  some  unknown 
centre  of  gravity  operating  on  an  immense  scale  upon 
the  whole  system  of  worlds,  forcing  upon  each,  according 
to  its  distance  from  that  centre,  gyrations  from  which  it 
cannot    escape   any   more   than   can   the  following  wheel 

44 


PLATE   XIII. 


Curves  which  ultimately  become  changeless  and  endless. 


45 


PLATE   XIV. 


jg  Diagram  showing  lines  of  entrance  and  exit. 


PLATE    XV. 


A  complicated  puzzle. 


47 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

of  Colonel  Hippisley's  little  instrument  from  its  guiding 
pivot.  It  may  be  wondered  why  I  have  mentioned  this 
discovery  of  Colonel  Hippisley's  in  connection  with  my 
own  geometrical  movements,  and  the  general  opinion 
will  be  that  it  has  no  bearing  whatever  on  my  subject. 
Colonel  Hippisley  himself  writes  to  me  as  follows : 

"  So  far  as  I  am  aware,  the  centre  of  gravity  of  the 
curve  does  not  exercise  any  role  in  the  theory,  as  it 
does  in  yours.  I  mention  this  lest  you  should  be  led 
to  assert  some  such  connection  in  your  book.  If  you 
remember,  what  interested  you  in  my  curves  was  the 
psychological  fact  that  the  nearer  the  follower  was  to  its 
guiding  star,  the  more  closely  it  followed  in  its  footsteps, 
which  is  a  little  parable  from  Nature.  Or,  rather,  a  parable 
from  a  much  dryer  subject,  to  wit.  Mathematics." 

In  connection  with  the  last  paragraph,  I  would  class 
all  parables  from  Nature  as  one  with  those  found  in 
mathematics,  since  all  Nature's  laws  are  based  on  the  same 
principles,  and  all  her  different  manifestations  are  merely 
varying  expressions  of  these  same  fundamental  laws.  If 
I  say  that  the  force  which  governs  my  geometrical 
movements  is  that  which  makes  the  trees  grow  upwards, 
and  which  holds  the  stars  in  the  firmament,  I  shall  be 
accused  of  talking  nonsense.  It  is,  nevertheless,  true ; 
only,  instead  of  making  the  statement  to  start  with,  I  am 
endeavouring  to  show  that  by  placing  the  human  being  in 
a  condition  whereby  he  is  brought  into  stride,  as  it  were, 
with  the  universal  law  of  rhythm  and  harmony,  through 
equilibrium,  he  is  enabled  through  his  finer  and  more 
48 


MATHEMATICS   AND    HUMAN   MOVEMENT 

sensitive  physical  development  (which  comes  as  a  natural 
result  of  obedience  to  essential  law)  to  come  into  direct 
connection  with  vital  force  itself,  and  share  in  far-reaching 
reactions  which  find  no  limit  in  the  physical  world; 
while  at  the  same  time  the  physical  expression  of  this 
vital  force  is  made  visible  through  movement,  which  is 
able  to  demonstrate  the  immediate  relation  between  the 
two,  and  which,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  prove, 
operates  solely  in  the  vertical  plane. 

All  movement,  then,  which  is  geometrical,  is  bound 
by  mathematical  law.  The  difference  between  neces- 
sarily related  and  arbitrary  changes  of  movement  is, 
that  the  first  are  inevitable  and  interdependent,  while 
the  second  are  the  expression  of  an  individual  will, 
subjected  to  alteration  at  random.  The  two  types  of 
movement  may  be  compared  in  the  case  of  arbitrary 
change  to  freehand  drawing,  while  that  bound  by 
mathematical  law  represents  geometry,  which,  when 
repeated  time  after  time,  under  the  same  conditions,  shows 
barely  a  hair's  breadth  of  variation.  I  do  not  wish  to  imply 
that  arbitrary  changes  may  not  be  both  pleasing  and 
interesting,  but  only  that  as  curves  they  cannot  be  true, 
performed  as  they  must  be  without  a  controlling  principle. 
In  the  extraordinary  precision  of  law-governed  movement 
lies  its  beauty ;  in  its  economy,  not  only  of  force  but  of 
elaboration.  Com.plexity  there  may  be,  but  of  an  order 
so  defined  that  the  mind  is  able  to  visualise  design  in 
clear-cut  perfection,  free  from  all  that  is  superfluous  or 
inessential. 

49 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

This  definition  gives  even  to  the  most  complex 
movements  an  appearance  of  great  simpHcity  and  ease : 
simpHcity,  because  each  movement  is  so  right  and  true 
that  it  is  a  complete  thing  in  itself,  while  yet  it  is  an 
indispensable  part  of  the  vt^hole,  and  the  mind  is  left 
undisturbed  by  any  feeling  of  uncertainty :  ease,  because 
through  this  precision  the  fatigue  of  vacillation  is  absent ; 
there  is  no  expenditure  of  force  on  the  superfluous, 
because  the  superfluous  no  longer  exists. 

Physical  force,  as  generally  recognisable,  seems  held 
in  abeyance,  while  that  which  becomes  visible  is  the 
energising  will  which  enforces  the  calm  certainty  of  every 
detail.  The  whole  value  of  geometrical  design  as  repre- 
sented by  the  movement  of  these  basic  exercises  lies  in  the 
proof  it  affords  of  the  truth  of  the  fundamental  principle 
which  governs  them.  They  represent  a  highly  complicated 
system  controlled  by  a  single  principle,  yet  capable  of 
manifold  application. 

My  first  attempt  to  render  in  design  the  movements  of 
each  exercise  proved  sufficiently  interesting  to  make  it 
worth  while  to  obtain  some  proof  which  should  be  incon- 
trovertible, for  although  the  freehand  drawings  I  first  made 
were  actually  accurate  as  to  design,  they  could  only  be 
proved  so  by  one  who  knew  the  movements  as  well  as 
myself.  The  only  definite  proof  then  was  photography, 
and  it  is  once  more  to  the  Institut  Marey,  to  the  generous 
help  of  Professor  Richet,  and  to  the  untiring  genius  of 
Mons.  Lucien  Bull  that  I  owe  the  proof  I  was  eventually 
able  to  produce. 
50 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

What  I  wanted  was  the  effect  of  white  Hnes  on  a  black 
ground,  and  how  to  get  them  was  the  problem.  It  was 
eventually  solved  by  taking  photographs  at  night,  with  tiny 
electric  bulbs  attached  to  each  foot.'  The  first  attempts 
were  made  with  lights  on  the  arms  and  head,  as  well  as  on 
the  feet,  but  the  complication  of  movement  in  the  two  planes 
made  the  curves  so  intricate  that  eventually  all  lights  were 
eliminated  except  those  on  each  foot.  The  designs  there- 
fore represent  the  leg  movement  only,  on  the  horizontal 
plane,  and  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  intricacy  of 
the  complete  movement  when  that  of  the  arms  is  added, 
which  latter  is  almost  invariably  on  the  vertical  plane. 
Not  only  this ;  the  camera  being  about  thirty  feet  in  a 
vertical  line  above  my  head,  rendered  all  curves  in  that 
plane  either  distorted,  or  represented  as  straight  lines 
merely.  Two  prints  of  each  negative  are  given.  The 
first,  marked  A,  is  the  untouched  print,  as  it  comes  from 
the  clichd,  in  which  most  of  the  curves  are  broken  at 
some  point  or  other.  This  is  due  to  the  passing  of  the 
foot  so  closely  under  the  body  that  its  light  is  obscured 
from  above.  This  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  avoid,  but 
as  it    renders  the  definition  of  the  design  in  some  cases 

^  As  no  photographs  of  the  kind  have  ever  been  taken  in  the  horizontal 
plane,  we  were  much  puzzled  as  to  what  name  to  give  the  "  procede." 

Professor  Marey,  in  his  experiments  with  "  points  brillants "  in  the 
vertical  plane,  calls  the  method  "  La  chronophotographie  geometrique  "  or 
"La  procede  des  points  brillants." 

Mons.  Lucien  Bull,  however,  suggests  what  seems  a  more  correct  and 
simpler  description  of  the  method.  "  Enregistrement  optique  " — or,  in 
English,  optical  registration — conveys  a  very  clear  idea  of  the  particular 
photography,  which  gives  geometrical  proof  of  my  theory,  and  therefore  I 
shall  appropriate  this  definition  for  the  special  process  we  adopted. 

51 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

somewhat  difficult  to  follow  for  everyone  except  myself,  I 
have  in  each  case  shown  a  second  print  in  which  all  the 
curves  have  been  completed,  as  also  the  straight  lines. 
This  second  print  is  marked  B.  The  curves  represent  the 
dynamic  action  of  the  moving  foot;  the  straight  lines  show 
the  alteration  in  direction  of  the  pivot  foot  on  which  the 
whole  weight  of  the  body  is  maintained.  The  white  spots 
indicate  the  pauses  between  two  movements,  where  the  toe 
touches  the  ground  for  an  instant,  marking  the  accentuation 
of  the  varying  angles,  but  the  curves  themselves  are,  without 
exception,  described  in  space.  Besides  the  two  photo- 
graphic prints,  I  have  drawn  a  corrected  geometrical  version 
of  each  one  of  the  series,  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  the 
design  more  clearly  as  pattern,  and  in  giving  the  key  to 
the  movement  of  each  design,  the  geometrical  version 
should  be  followed,  as  on  these  will  be  found  the  little 
arrows  and  lettering  which  indicate  the  movement  of  one 
sequence  of  a  series,  and  the  comparison  with  the  original 
prints  will  render  these  perfectly  clear.  The  geometrical 
version  of  these  prints  demonstrates  in  a  very  striking 
manner  their  resemblance  to  some  of  the  oldest  known 
designs,  which  for  thousands  of  years  have  been  associated 
with  mystic  interpretation.  Take,  for  instance,  Plate 
XVI.  This  is  the  design  represented  by  Exercise  IV. ,^ 
and  is  none  other  than  that  used  by  the  Chinese,  Hin- 
dus, and  Egyptians  thousands  ^of  years  ago  to  represent 
Eternity — the  thing  that  is  Infinite.     In  the  actual  photo- 

*  A  detailed  description  of  all  the  exercises  will  be  found  in  a  Supple- 
ment at  the  end  of  the  book. 

52 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

graph  of  this  design,  Print  A,  it  will  be  noticed  that  the 
two  large  outer  curves  do  not  come  back  into  each  other's 
orbit.  This  was  a  fault  in  my  movement  which  however 
I  have  left,  as  an  illustration  is  often  clearer  through  its 
faults  than  its  perfections.  If  you  will  turn  to  the 
description  of  Exercise  IV.,  you  will  probably  see  at  once 
what  went  wrong  in  the  movement  of  an  otherwise  very 
fine  curve. 

In  the  outward  swing  of  the  moving  leg,  the  foot  came 
to  the  ground  before  it  had  been  placed  exactly  under 
the  centre  of  gravity  of  the  body.  Had  it  been  brought 
in  a  few  inches  farther  before  being  placed  as  base,  it  would 
have  made  a  curve  that  would  have  merged  into  the  orbit 
of  the  other  leg  movement  when  the  exercise  was  repeated 
on  the  opposite  side.  I  have  rectified  this  in  the  geomet- 
rical version,  showing  the  completed  and  corrected  curve. 

At  a  lecture  in  Paris  where  I  showed  these  designs  for 
the  first  time  in  January  1911,  they  created  some  little 
sensation  among  those  of  my  audience  interested  in  occult 
science,  as  having  a  probable  connection  with  those  of  the 
Rosicrucian  Mysteries,  and  also  with  other  symbols  of  far 
older  origin.  It  is  both  interesting  and  curious  that  any 
complete  exercise  should  represent  so  exactly  the  ancient 
symbol  of  eternity,  except  that  both  the  small  thing  and 
the  great  thing  are  governed  by  the  same  principle,  and 
it  may  be  that  the  infinitesimal  example  of  what  may  be 
demonstrated  by  human  movement  is  one  of  the  manifold 
applications  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  which  I 
spoke.     The  elaboration  of  design,  conceived  from  human 

S3 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

movement  in  a  perfect  condition  of  equilibrium,  would 
undoubtedly  form  a  reliable  basis  for  that  used  in  archi- 
tecture, in  which  lift  and  expansion  on  a  firm  base  give 
to  the  curves  of  a  Gothic  arch  the  actual  appearance  of 
harmonised  movement ;  so  much  so  that  one  lifts  to  the 
sight  of  them,  while  the  lungs  expand  in  deep  spontaneous 
breaths.  I  use  the  word  **  harmonised  "  movement  here, 
in  its  original  Greek  sense,  meaning  balanced ;  harmony 
representing  originally  a  fastening,  a  key-stone.  Homer 
used  the  word  by  its  different  meanings.  "It  is  by  the 
aid  of  wedges  and  *  harmonies '  of  some  sort  that  Odysseus 
joins  his  twenty  trees  together  to  form  the  raft  whereon  he 
sails  away  from  Calypso's  Isle."  It  also  came  to  mean 
a  mental  union,  or  joining  together,  and  later  on  an 
expression  of  Law  and  Order.  Finally,  it  is  used  in  music 
to  represent  the  "  linked  sweetness "  of  sound  joining 
sound.'  It  is  in  this  sense  that  Homer  uses  "  melody," 
as  representing  duration  of  sound,  regulated  by  perfectly 
balanced  rhythm. 

By  reducing  the  whole  series  of  basic  exercises  to 
geometrical  demonstration,  it  has  been  possible  to  prove 
the  truth  of  their  underlying  principle.  The  combination 
of  force,  equilibrium,  and  beauty  is  the  result  of  that 
principle ;  beauty  in  movement  being  the  outcome  of  the 
economy  of  force  which  is  the  direct  result  of  a  perfect 
equilibrium.  Control  over  the  expenditure  of  effort ; 
reserve  of  expression ;  these  are  only  possible  under  a 
condition  of  perfect  balance. 

1  "  Makers  of  Hellas."  E.  E.  G.,  p.    103. 
54 


PLATE    XVI. 


Copyright.] 

Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  I\' 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

Looking  again  at  Plate  XVI.,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  two  central  curves  are  not  vertical  to  each  other 
as  they  should  be ;  that  is  to  say,  the  upper  one  is 
on  the  slant,  although  the  curve  itself  is  quite  true.  This 
was  the  heel  movement  in  the  second  exercise,  viz.,  the 
repetition,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  on  the  return  journey  I 
did  not  land  quite  in  the  right  spot,  judging  from  a 
vertical  bisecting  line,  although  the  horizontal  is  correct. 
The  photographs  of  the  whole  series  are  the  first  and  only 
ones  which  have  been  taken,  and  many  faults  are  apparent ; 
but  as  these  in  no  way  detract  from  their  value  as 
demonstrations,  but,  on  the  contrary,  make  it  rather 
easier  to  explain  their  meaning,  I  have  left  them  untouched. 
Later  on,  I  hope  to  make  another  series,  in  which  most 
of  the  faults  apparent  in  the  first  examples  will  have 
disappeared.  The  key  to  the  movement  of  Plate  XIX. 
is  given  on  Plate  XVII.,  the  geometrical  version,  and 
is  as  follows : 

A  is  the  starting-point  of  both  feet,  from  which  the 
right  foot  takes  a  step  back  until  the  heel  is  on  the 
spot  on  the  line  between  B  and  C,  and  is  marked  "  heel 
pivot."  The  toe  of  the  right  foot  should  be  touching  B. 
The  small  curve  from  5  to  C  is  that  formed  by  the 
toe-light  of  the  right  foot,  while  pivoting  on  the  heel, 
and  is  marked  with  arrows  to  show  direction.  The 
large  curve  from  A  to  D,  also  marked  with  arrows, 
is  that  produced  by  the  left  leg  movement  as  it  swings  out 
wide  from  the  hip,  carrying  the  whole  body  round  on  its 
pivot   heel.      The    dotted   lline   from   D   to    C    represents 

55 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  line  of  recovery  of  the  left  foot  during  the  spring  back 
to  an  erect  position  close  to  the  right  foot,  but  had  the 
curves  been  quite  correct  this  would  not  have  shown. 
As  it  is,  it  elucidates  the  movement  admirably. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  two  repetitions  of  this 
exercise  are  needed  to  form  the  design,  as  each  one 
completes  a  half-circle,  and  it  will  therefore  be  simpler  to 
reverse  the  diagram  when  following  out  the  movement 
of  the  repetition,  which,  it  must  be  remembered,  begins 
with  a  step  back  of  the  left  foot. 

Now  look  at  the  little  constellation  formed  by 
Exercise  III.,  shown  on  Plate  XVIII.,  A  and  B.  How 
organic  are  the  curves — they  might  be  a  chart  of  Jupiter 
and  his  moons  showing  their  separate  orbits! 

These  curves  are  all  archimedean  in  form,  though  the 
whole  constellation  gives  the  impression  of  circles.  And, 
indeed,  the  group  forms,  with  its  outer  curves  and  spots, 
both  a  perfect  circle  and  a  perfect  square,  while  an  equally 
perfect  square  and  tiny  circle  are  formed  in  the  centre. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  there  are  four  prints  on  this  plate. 
C  and  D  are  two  prints  from  a  different  negative,  in  which 
one  movement  was  eliminated  for  the  purpose  of  leaving 
the  centre  clear  and  thus  affording  a  clearer  definition  of 
the  curves.     This  will  be  described  later  on. 

Refer  now  to  the  geometrical  version  on  Plate  XIX., 
and,  bearing  in  mind  the  exercise  itself,  take  A  as  the 
starting-point  of  both  feet.  From  A  to  X  m  the  centre 
represents  the  first  lunge  of  the  left  foot,  which  stays  at 
point  X  with  the  whole  weight  upon  it,  and  with  well-bent 
56 


PLATE    XVII. 


Copyright.] 


Geometrical  Version  of  Plate  X\'I. 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

knee,  a  position  important  to  remember  as  it  causes  the 
special  formation  of  the  curves.  The  wide,  sweeping 
curve  of  the  right  foot  as  it  comes  round  on  the  gradually 
straightening  left  knee,  is  represented  by  arrows  going 
towards,  and  stopping  at,  point  B.  It  will  now  be  seen 
that  the  upward  rise  of  the  left  knee  transforms  what  would 
have  formed  an  arc  of  a  circle  into  an  archimedean  curve, 
and  as,  in  its  narrowing  circle,  it  passes  in  front  of  the 
body,  turning  it  into  a  right  angle  to  the  first  position,  the 
tip  of  the  toe  comes  to  the  ground  at  point  B  and  the  curve 
is  finished.  The  movement  now  becomes  a  backward 
curve  of  the  right  foot,  performed  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  as  the  first,  and  represented  by  arrows  going 
towards  and  stopping  at  point  C.  But  this  time  the  curve 
is  performed  on  a  downward  bend  of  the  left  knee,  so  that 
the  descending  curve  widens  as  it  progresses,  and  finally 
arrives  at  point  C,  where  it  forms  the  inward  curve  of  the 
next  angle,  and  so  on  through  the  four  repetitions.  The 
four  lines  radiating  from  the  centre  show  the  lunge  and 
recovery  of  the  left  foot;  forwards  and  backwards  each 
time  as  the  exercise  is  repeated  at  the  four  angles,  and 
it  will  be  noticed  how  accurately  the  dots  are  placed 
denoting  the  pauses  at  the  culmination  of  each  upward 
curve,  considering  the  complication  of  the  repetitions. 
They  are  almost  exactly  mid-distance  between  each  pair  of 
straight  lines.  The  little  circle  of  dots  in  the  centre, 
which  is  complete  except  for  the  eighth  dot,  forms  an 
infinitesimal  octagon,  outlined  by  the  movement  of  the 
ball    of    the    left    foot,    which,    to    each    right-angle    turn 

S7 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

of  the  body,  makes  two  acute-angle  movements.  The 
two  prints  C  and  D  are  those  of  the  same  exercise,  but 
with  the  recovery  movement  left  out.  This  makes 
the  whole  exercise  a  series  of  curves  on  a  rising  and  falling 
centre  line,  the  base,  viz.,  the  left  foot,  being  immovable 
except  for  the  acute-angle  turn,  as  each  sweeping  curve  of 
the  right  leg  brings  the  body  round  to  a  right  angle.  The 
small  octagon  formed  by  these  acute-angle  turns  is  barely 
shown,  however,  in  these  two  prints,  as  the  body  remains 
almost  entirely  over  the  foot,  there  being  no  spring  back 
of  the  recovery  to  disclose  the  left  foot  light,  which  is  here 
shown  only  three  times  by  accident.  This  exercise,  in 
which  the  recovery  movement  is  eliminated,  forms  a 
wonderful  test  for  the  tendon  Achilles,  which  has  to  bear 
the  greatest  strain;  for,  after  each  swing  back  of  the  right 
leg,  it  misses  the  relief  of  the  recovery  movement,  and  is 
obliged  to  start  immediately  on  the  upward  spring  for  the 
next  rising  curve.  As  in  the  case  of  A  and  By  four 
repetitions  are  needed  to  complete  the  figure. 

The  next  photographs  are  those  of  a  combination  of 
Exercises  VIII.  and  IV. ,^  and  are  shown  on  Plate  XX. 
I  leave  it  as  a  puzzle  for  those  keen  enough  to 
decipher  its  curves.  A  correct  solution  is  quite  possible 
by  the  aid  of  Plate  XXL,  where  the  lettering  and 
arrows  will  elucidate  the  first  sequence  of  the  series. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  from  A  to  B  the  step  is 
taken  backwards,  followed  by  a  left  right-angle  turn  of 
the    body,    and   a   curved   step   with  the   right    foot  back 

^  For  explanation,  see  p.   178. 
58 


PLATE    XVIII. 


Copyright'] 


Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  III. 


PLATE    XIX. 


Copyright.] 


Geometrical  \'crsion  of  Plate  XV'III. 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

to  C.  These  two  movements  give  the  initial  steps  of 
Exercise  VIII.  The  combination  comes  on  the  upward 
swing  of  the  left  leg,  which,  instead  of  returning  to  the 
right  with  a  straightening  up  of  the  right  knee,  swings  back 
in  the  long  curve  from  X  to  D.  I  have  marked  the  apex 
of  the  curve  as  X,  as  there  is  no  pause  at  this  point, 
and  the  leg  comes  back  immediately  in  the  long  curve 
to  D,  while  the  right  knee  bends  another  two  inches 
lower,  as  the  arms  swing  round  to  the  right.  The  recovery 
is,  of  course,  to  D,  by  bringing  the  right  foot,  which  is 
at  point  C,  back  to  an  erect  position  at  D,  the  body  facing 
at  a  right  angle  to  the  first  position.  Three  photographs 
of  this  exercise  are  given.  The  first  two  prints,  A  and  B, 
are,  as  usual,  two  prints  from  the  same  negative,  the  one 
with  corrected  and  completed  curves.  6"  is  a  print  from 
another  negative,  taken  shortly  after  A,  and  is  shown  here 
for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the  extraordinary  precision 
with  which  these  movements  are  repeated.  It  will  be 
noticed  how  infinitesimal  are  the  differences  between  the 
two  negatives  B  and  C,  even  the  wavering  in  certain  parts 
of  the  curves  being  reproduced  almost  exactly,  and  were 
I  to  give  a  dozen  different  negatives  of  the  same  exercise 
they  would  show  no  more  difference  than  these  two. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  a  perfect  circle  is  formed 
by  the  large  outer  curves  as  well  as  by  those  which  seem 
to  radiate  from  the  centre.  The  large  outer  circle  is 
more  correctly  traced  in  print  C  of  this  set.  The 
geometrical  drawing  of  this  design  makes  a  very  good  key 
to  its  solution.     It  must  be  remembered  always  that   the 

59 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

straight  lines  indicate  the  changing  direction  of  the  body, 
while  the  direction  of  the  arrows  from  point  A  shows 
whether  the  first  step  is  backwards  or  forwards. 

The  next  photograph,  although  a  much  more  com- 
plicated design  than  the  last,  is  Exercise  VIII.  by  itself, 
and  is  shown  on  Plate  XXII.  The  greater  intricacy  of 
design  is  caused  by  the  repetition  eight  times  of  each 
sequence,  which  ends  at  an  acute  angle,  whereas  the 
combination  of  the  two  finished  at  a  right  angle.  As  the 
full  description  of  this  exercise  is  given  in  the  Supplement, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  refer  to  its  geometrical  counterpart 
on  Plate  XXIII.,  in  which  the  first  sequence  is  traced 
by  arrows  and  lettering.  What  a  beautiful  design  for  a 
rose  window  this  exercise  would  make  I 

The  next  design  is  that  formed  by  Exercise  VII.,  and 
is  shown  on  Plate  XXIV.,  an  extremely  simple  little 
pattern,  but  one  that  may  be  frequently  seen  in  antique 
architecture. 

It  must  be  remembered,  in  working  out  this  design  in 
movement  by  aid  of  Plate  XXV.,  that  the  start  from 
point  A  is  made  with  the  back  to  the  centre,  and  that  as 
the  left  foot  lunges  backward,  it  is  placed  at  an  obtuse 
angle  to  the  start,  which  leaves  the  body  itself  at  a  right 
angle  to  the  first  position.  Remembering  this,  it  is  easy 
to  trace  the  movement  of  the  right  foot  by  the  arrows. 
Tested  by  the  compass,  the  square  formed  by  the  points 
of  contact  with  the  ground  will  be  found  perfect.  The 
curves  also  are  correct,  and  form  perfect  arcs  of  a  circle, 
although  they  are  not  complete  half-circles,  for  the  reason 
60 


PLATE    XX. 


Copyright.]         {Different  negative.) 
Optical   Registration  of  the  Combination  of  Exercises  \'I1I.  and   I\'. 


PLATE    XXI. 


Geometrical  \'ersion  of  Plate  XX. 


PLATE    XXII. 


Cofiyriglit.] 

Optical   Registration  of  Exercise  VIII. 


PLATE    XXIII. 


Copyright.] 


Geometrical  Version  of  Exercise  VIII. 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

that  the  left  foot  occupies  the  centre.  The  right  foot  is 
therefore  obHged  to  make  its  curve  at  a  Httle  distance  from 
the  pivot;  but,  as  the  centre  of  gravity  remains  here,  it  is 
impossible  for  the  foot  to  reach  far  enough  to  make  the 
complete  half-circle. 

The  design  formed  by  Exercise  V.  as  shown  on 
Plate  XXVI.  is,  from  the  point  of  view  of  pattern,  by 
far  the  most  beautiful.  Look  at  its  geometrical  rendering 
on  Plate  XXVII.  Another  rose  window,  with  its  charm- 
ing effect  of  a  revolving  star  by  reason  of  the  outer  points 
of  its  eight  scalene  triangles.  Four  prints  of  this  design 
are  given,  the  result  of  two  different  negatives.  Prints  A  and 
B  are  in  all  respects  the  better  negative,  owing  to  the  better 
definition  of  the  angles,  together  with  its  extraordinarily 
perfect  curves,  while  the  octagon  formed  by  the  two  basic 
points  of  the  triangle  is  as  good  as  that  formed  by  the 
extreme  outside  points.  If  a  diagram  is  made  of  this  design, 
with  all  its  points  connected,  and  arcs  completed,  it  forms 
an  extremely  interesting  and  beautiful  geometrical  figure. 
By  aid  of  the  detailed  explanation,  together  with  the 
lettering  on  Plate  XXVII.,  the  track  from  point  A 
right  through  to  £  may  be  easily  followed.  When  I  say 
easily,  I  am  thinking  of  those  who  have  mastered  the 
exercises  by  careful  study  with  the  photographs  and  Cinema 
details.  Any  attempt  to  work  them  out  from  the 
geometrical  designs  would  be  worse  than  hopeless. 

The  knowledge  of  angles  formed  by  movement,  and 
the  power  to  connect  them  by  perfect  curves,  must  come 
from  actual    experience,  and   that   experience  will    be  the 

6i 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

result  of  an  increased  sense-activity  whose  dynamic  action 
has  been  trained  and  developed  in  the  understanding  of 
essential  principles.  But  until  the  fundamental  law  of 
equilibrium  is  thoroughly  understood  and  its  principles  are 
easy  of  practice,  the  designs  will  be  about  as  much  use 
towards  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  balance  as  a  geometrical 
theorem  would  be  without  a  compass  with  which  to  work 
it  out.  The  sole  value  I  place  upon  them  myself  is  the 
indisputable  proof  they  afford  of  the  correctness  of 
the  principle  on  which  the  exercises  are  based.  What 
their  connection  may  be  with  the  secret  symbols  of 
antiquity  would  be  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
to  prove,  as  no  authentic  description  of  the  ceremonies 
through  which  the  initiated  had  to  pass  has  ever  escaped 
the  rigid  secrecy  in  which  they  were  bound.  It  would, 
however,  seem  not  unlikely  that  at  these  ceremonies  of 
initiation  the  novice  would  go  through  certain  movements, 
and  it  is  possible  that  these  movements  were  afterwards 
represented  by  pattern,  as  being  the  best  way  to  hide  their 
real  meaning.  Just  as,  in  the  same  way,  the  alchemists 
had  a  sort  of  code  of  secret  signs  to  indicate  the  process 
by  which  the  precious  metals  were  mixed,  together  with 
the  exact  quantities  required,  and  other  details  known 
only  to  themselves,  and  jealously  guarded.  But  it  is 
doubtful  whether  it  has  ever  been  realised  that  the  human 
being,  trained  to  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  perfect 
balance  in  movement,  may  himself  become  the  most 
accurate  mathematical  instrument !  Otherwise  a  knowledge 
of  the  law  needed  as  a  means  to  this  end  would  have  made 
62 


PLATE    XXIV. 


Copyright.]  ^Different  negative.) 

Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  \II. 


PLATE    XXV. 


Copyright.] 


Geometrical  Version  of  Plate  XXI\ 


MATHEMATICS  AND   HUMAN    MOVEMENT 

itself  apparent  in  all  the  different  systems  of  physical 
training ;  whereas  it  appears  in  none,  since  the  days  of 
the  Greeks  at  their  zenith. 

The  last  of  the  designs  is  shown  as  a  geometrical 
diagram  only,  and  is  given  on  Plate  XXVIII.  It  illustrates 
Exercise  II.,  but  as  the  most  important  curve  takes  place 
chiefly  in  the  vertical  plane,  a  photograph  in  the 
horizontal  plane  gives  no  adequate  representation  of  the 
movement.  From  ^  to  X  is  the  first  step  back  with  the 
left  foot,  the  right  leg  following  on  with  the  long  curve  A 
to  B.  That  part  of  the  curve  from  A  X.o  B  which  appears 
to  be  a  straight  line  is  not  really  so,  for,  from  the  point  of 
contact  on  the  square  about  half-way  between  A  and  B, 
the  curve  is  continued  in  the  vertical  plane  in  the  manner 
indicated  by  the  dotted  line  from  the  right  angle  to  B. 
The  pull  round  of  the  left  arm  at  the  moment  of  the 
backward  swing  of  the  right  leg  is  indicated  by  the 
three-quarter  circle  C  to  D,  which  movement  brings  the 
body  round  to  a  right  angle,  after  which  the  exercise  is 
repeated.  When  the  exercise  has  become  quite  familiar,  it 
will  be  easy  to  follow  this  design  in  movement.  I  have 
given  a  diagram  of  this  one,  in  spite  of  having  no 
photographic  original,  for  the  reason  that,  curiously 
enough,  its  occult  interpretation  has  been  described  as 
remarkable.  Personally  I  know  nothing  of  the  science, 
but  according  to  Yogi  translation  it  expresses  all  the 
symbols  of  Hfe — the  z^^,  the  triangle,  the  circle,  the  square, 
and  the  star,  and  in  these  forms  much  mystic  value  seems 
to  exist.     I  mention  this  for  the  simple  reason  that  this  is 

63 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  only  design  in  which  all  these  forms  are  combined.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  in  almost  all  of  the  geometrical  drawings 
the  arcs  of  actual  movement  have  been  rendered  circles 
by  the  addition  of  dotted  lines.  This  plan  was  adopted 
for  the  clearer  rendering  of  the  design  as  pattern,  the  actual 
movement  being  sufficiently  obvious  in  the  thicker  lines. 
But  the  dotted  lines  have  only  been  added  where  it  would 
have  been  actually  possible  to  render  them  in  leg  move- 
ment, so  that  where  they  do  not  exist,  only  those  curves 
that  are  shown  could  be  demonstrated  physically.  From 
the  point  of  view  of  pattern,  it  would,  of  course,  be  quite 
easy  to  complete  them,  and  thus  complicate  the  design. 

So  far,  the  only  experiments  in  photography  repre- 
senting movement  in  detail  have  been  those  of  the  late 
Professor  Marey,  of  Professor  Charles  Richet  (his  suc- 
cessor, as  President  of  the  Institut  Marey),  and  of  Pro- 
fessor Pettigrew,  who  wrote  an  important  work  dealing  with 
the  discoveries  made  at  the  Institut  Marey,  and  adding 
some  of  his  own  in  connection  with  human  and  animal 
movement.  But  nothing  more  complicated  than  what 
Professor  Pettigrew  called  "the  figure  of  eight '**  was 
brought  to  light.  This  "  figure  of  eight "  was  formed  by 
the  alternating  of  the  feet  in  walking,  both  by  human 
beings  and  animals.  The  experiments  were  most  in- 
teresting, but  seem  to  have  been  made  in  connection  with 
unconscious  and  spontaneous  movement  only,  so  that 
in  making  a  distinction  between  my  own  and  theirs,  I 
would  point  out  that  the  designs  formed  by  the  exercises 
already  explained  represent  consciously-reasoned  move- 
64 


PLATE    XXVI. 


Copyright.  (Different  negative.} 


Optical  Registration  of  Exercise  V. 


PLATE    XXVII. 


Copyright.] 


Geometrical  \'ersion  of  Exercise  V. 


PLATE    XXVIII. 


Copyright. 


Geometrical  Version  of  Exercise  II. 


MATHEMATICS  AND  HUMAN  MOVEMENT 

ment  subject  to  law,  as  opposed  to  unconscious  and 
spontaneous  movements  of  habit.  This  does  not  imply 
that  unconscious  spontaneous  movements  may  not  also  be 
governed  by  law.  As  a  rule,  the  more  unconscious  and 
spontaneous  a  movement  is,  the  more  graceful  it  becomes, 
and  the  graceful,  beautiful  thing  is  the  thing  that  is  right 
and  true.  But  modern  conditions  make  almost  impossible 
the  free  expression  of  the  law  which  governs  the  uncon- 
sciously beautiful  thing.  It  is  true  that  Nature  reasserts 
herself  the  moment  she  is  allowed  her  liberty,  but  it 
is  rare  that  any  but  primitive  races  show  any  of  the 
unconscious  beauty  of  movement,  and  as  soon  as  these 
races  come  in  touch  with  civilisation,  the  fetters  of  a 
misguided  progress  rob  them  of  all  their  dignified  bearing 
and  elasticity  of  tread.  Under  natural  conditions,  the 
law  of  balance  is  able  to  assert  itself  without  its  being 
known  or  understood  by  the  object  expressing  it.  Under 
modern  conditions,  it  must  be  studied  as  the  alphabet  of 
all  physical  training,  carefully  practised,  rigidly  adhered 
to,  if  any  check  is  to  be  given  to  the  hideous  inroads 
upon  fine  development  made  by  heels,  hobbles,  and  similar 
atrocities.  For  the  modern  human  being,  familiar  with 
all  the  latest  developments  of  Science,  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  recognising  as  an  axiom  that  only  under  the 
control  of  fundamental  law  can  freedom  find  its  fullest 
expression. 

Do  you  remember  the  description  of  Camilla,  of  the 
Volscians,  when  she  went  out  at  the  head  of  her  regiment 
to  fight  against  Aeneas?    "Therewith  came  Camilla,  the 

6S 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

Volscian,  leading  a  train  of  cavalry,  squadrons  splendid 
with  brass:  a  virgin  w^arrior  ...  a  maiden  hard  to 
endure  the  battle  shock  and  outstrip  the  winds  with  racing 
feet.  She  might  have  flown  across  the  topmost  blades  of 
corn  and  left  the  tender  ears  unhurt  as  she  ran,  or  sped 
her  way  over  mid  sea  upborne  by  the  swelling  flood,  nor 
dipt  her  swift  feet  in  the  water."  ^ 

Where  is  the  modern  Camilla  whose  feet  can  show  the 
spring  and  glory  of  a  free  and  natural  development? 

^  The  Aeneid  of  Virgil.     J.  W.  Mackail. 


66 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE    INTERPRETATION    OF    SCULPTURE    BY   THE 
LAWS   OF   BALANCE 

THE  necessity  for  mathematical  accuracy  in  physical 
training,  on  which  I  place  such  immense  impor- 
tance, does  not  imply  that  all  movement  based  on 
this  principle  must  be  obviously  geometrical.  On  the 
contrary,  the  more  accurate,  the  more  perfectly  balanced, 
movement  becomes,  the  less  visible  will  be  the  means  by 
which  it  is  produced.  Only  the  most  perfect  mathematical 
accuracy  in  training  can  produce  the  finest  '' techne."  This 
applies  to  all  the  Arts,  especially  to  painting,  where  the 
disguised  simplicity  in  the  work  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  of 
Titian,  and,  in  our  times,  of  Sargent,  owes  its  fauldess 
perfection  to  the  infinitesimal  details  of  perspective  and 
form,  which  are  responsible  for  the  balanced  harmony  of 
the  whole  effect,  and  which  were  minutely  blocked  out  on 
the  canvases  before  even  the  lightest  touch  of  the  brush 
was  attempted.  Freedom  of  expression  came  afterwards, 
when  the  thing  to  be  expressed  was  clear  and  definite  in 
form  and  accurate  in  perspective. 

In  the  case  of  human  movement,  the  careful  adherence 
to  the  most  accurate  form  of  geometrical  exercise  for  the 
purpose  of  actual  training  allows  of  a  far  greater  subse- 
quent freedom  of  expression,  when  it  comes  to  sports  in 
general,  and  dancing  in  particular. 

67 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

The  controlled  human  being  is  the  free  human  being. 
With  muscles  trained  to  respond  to  the  finest  variations  of 
balance,  he  can  allow  himself  far  greater  liberty  than  one 
unaccustomed  to  movements  of  extreme  precision  and 
difficult  balance. 

This  principle  of  balance  in  movement  is  of  the 
greatest  importance  in  the  study  of  antique  sculpture, 
where  in  many  cases  so  little  is  left  to  indicate  what  the 
statues  were  really  doing.  Although  dogmatic  assertions 
respecting  them  are  no  doubt  dangerous,  it  is  at  any  rate 
obvious— in  many  cases  painfully  obvious  in  the  light 
of  modern  restorations — what  they  were  not  doing.  Take, 
for  example,  the  Discobolus  of  the  Vatican  in  the  Sala 
della  Biga.  If  the  man  who  placed  the  head  of  the  Dis- 
cobolus looking  forward,  with  the  neck  muscles  twisted 
and  strained,  had  practised  the  throwing  of  the  discus, 
such  a  mistake  would  have  been  impossible.  Had  he 
been  an  athlete,  the  swing  back  of  the  discus  arm  would 
have  shown  him  the  necessity  of  freeing  the  neck  muscles 
to  their  utmost  to  prevent  strain,  and  consequent  check, 
on  the  forward  swing  of  the  arm.  But  it  is  impossible  to 
reconstruct  the  movement  of  a  perfect  Greek  athlete, 
unless  one  feels  the  thing  he  was  doing ;  unless  one's  own 
muscles  respond  to  the  life  and  spring  that  the  Greek 
sculptors  were  able  to  chisel  into  their  marble. 

How  is  it  possible  to  realise  all  they  mean  unless  one 
can  go  straightway  and  do  likewise ! 

The  revelation  of  what  Myron's  Discobolus  meant  in 
movement  was,  I  remember,  a  great  joy ;  the  changes  of 
68 


SCULPTURE   AND    LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

position  from  start  to  finish  are  so  varied ;  one  or  two, 
particularly  that  of  the  finish,  quite  as  beautiful  as  the 
central  poise. 

There  were  evidently  several  ways  of  throwing  the 
discus.  It  might  be  done  standing,  in  which  case  the 
arm  began  its  forward  swing  from  well  above  the  head; 
whereas  in  taking  the  run  forward  the  arm  swings  very 
little  above  the  horizontal  before  descending  for  the 
throw. 

There  is  an  example  of  the  standing  position  in  the 
Uffizi  Gallery  at  Florence,  supposed  to  be  a  copy  of  one 
by  Myron,  but  a  very  poor  specimen  in  every  way,  and  not 
worth  reproducing  here. 

The  Archer  of  the  Aegina  Pediment  was,  as  I  said  in 
the  first  chapter,  the  first  statue  that  I  brought  back  to 
life;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  joy  and  excitement  of 
the  moment  when  I  became  Herakles ! — when  I  found 
how  quickly  and  silently  he  dropped  into  ambush  with 
that  wonderful  poise  on  the  right  toes,  and,  without 
another  movement,  let  fly  his  arrow.  With  him  I 
sprang  up  to  see  whether  I  had  got  my  man.  Yes ! 
There  was  a  neat  little  round  hole  in  the  screen  at  the 
far  end  of  my  room.  There  were  many  more  before  I 
had  finished ;  the  exhilaration  of  the  two  perfectly- 
balanced  movements,  the  drop  and  the  upward  spring, 
was  worth  more  to  me  than  the   screen. 

The  statue  is  smiling ;  a  little  proud,  half-contemptuous 
smile,  for  not  very  far  off  is  Paris,  also  shooting ;  very 
correctly  and  immaculately  turned  out,  but  with  07ie  knee 

69 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

on  the  ground.  He  couldn't  balance  on  his  toes,  and  so 
Herakles  sits  there  with  a  little  confident  smile,  poised  on 
his  toes,  as  other  men  use  their  knees,  and  quite  as  firmly. 

I  think  I  am  right  in  saying  that  no  one  has  ever 
before  given  an  explanation  of  the  movement  of  this 
marvellous  archer  figure.  His  dress  and  helmet  and 
expression  have  all  been  carefully  described^ — but  his 
movement,  his  poise?  Well,  he  was  placed  in  the 
narrowing  angle  of  the  Pediment,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
make  him  crouching  or  he  would  not  have  fitted  in! 

After  the  Archer  and  the  Discobolus,  I  next  turned 
my  attention  to  the  Charioteer  of  the  Capitol  in  Rome. 
In  this  case,  both  arms,  and  the  whole  of  the  left  leg,  are 
missing,  but  the  position  of  the  right  leg  gives  clear  indi- 
cation of  what  he  is  doing.  Plate  XXIX.  is  the  only 
photograph  there  is  of  this  statue,  although  the  profile  is 
a  much  finer  view.  He  is  leaping  into  his  chariot;  the 
signal  has  dropped  for  the  start  of  the  race,  and,  with  arms 
fully  outstretched  against  the  strain  of  eager  horses,  he  is 
taking  what  in  Greek  would  be  described  as  the  **  leap 
that  is  flying." 

The  movement  of  this  charioteer  proved  intensely 
interesting.     Professor  Loewy  describes  him  as  follows : 

"C'est  un  jeune  homme  dans  I'attitude  de  quelqu'un 
qui  se  dispose  a  monter— peut-etre  sur  un  char.  Mais  dans 
une  telle  position  aura-t-on  I'idde  de  se  forcer  a  tenir  le 
buste  si  raide  ?  "  ^ 

^  See  "  Histoire  de  la  Sculpture  grecque,"  p.  265.     M.  Colignon. 
-From   a  letter.     See  also   "Die  griechische  Plaslik,"  pp.   109,    iio. 
Loewy. 

70 


PLATE    XXIX. 


Photo  Alinari.] 


The  Charioteer  of  the  Capitol,  Rome. 


SCULPTURE   AND   LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

The  "  idea  "  would  only  occur  to  one  whose  muscles 
were  in  perfect  condition ;  to  one  whose  training  had 
taught  him  the  best  way  to  carry  a  well-balanced  body  on 
reliable  springs;  but  that  is  exactly  what  the  charioteer 
did  know,  and  that  is  why  he  looks  so  calm  and  confident, 
as  though  he  were  doing  nothing  at  all. 

Out  in  the  grounds  of  the  Institut  Marey  I  tried  the 
"  leap  that  is  flying,"  while  the  cinematograph  kept  its  eye 
upon  me  to  register  what  happened  to  my  back.  No 
chariot  was  there,  but  we  turned  a  large  case  upside  down, 
and  a  good  deal  higher  it  must  have  been  than  an  ordinary 
chariot,  although  the  charioteer  had  a  high  one  too, 
or  his  right  thigh  would  not  have  been  horizontal. 
On  Cinema  Series  No.  4  is  an  enlargement  of  two 
of  the  positions ;  that  marked  A  giving  the  identical 
position  of  the  torso  and  leg  of  the  Charioteer.  B  was 
such  a  fine  poise  that  I  thought  it  deserved  clearer 
detail  than  is  possible  in  the  smaller  prints.  This 
series  forms,  I  think,  one  of  the  most  interesting 
demonstrations  of  movement  one  could  find,  and  on 
careful  examination  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  spine 
remains  vertical  throughout.  The  fact  that  there  were 
no  reins  to  hold  on  to  made  the  balance  needed  for 
the  leap  far  more  difficult,  but  the  springs  of  the  feet 
were  more  than  up  to  their  work,  as  will  be  seen  by 
the  rise  on  to  the  toes  of  one  foot  when  on  top  of 
the  case. 

But  it  may  be  asked,  Why  did  I  rise  on  to  my  toes, 
—surely  that  was  hardly  necessary  ? 

71 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

That  is  quite  true,  but  I  did  it  for  two  reasons :  firstly, 
to  illustrate  that  the  whole  movement  is  performed  by  the 
foot  and  knee,  more  especially  the  foot ;  and  secondly, 
as  an  example  of  what  comes  quite  naturally  into  the 
movement  of  perfectly  trained  elastic  muscles.  I  know 
that,  were  it  possible  to  drive  a  Greek  chariot,  I  should 
always  fly  into  it  in  the  same  way,  out  of  sheer  joy  in  the 
spring.  And  yet,  had  that  poise  been  shown  in  sculpture, 
it  would  probably  have  been  criticised  as  a  preposterous 
"idea." 

Professor  Loewy,  who  saw  me  give  an  actual  demon- 
stration of  the  movement  in  Rome,  was  kind  enough  to 
say  that  he  thought  the  reconstruction  of  the  leap  of  the 
Charioteer  "very  beautiful,"  but  thought  it  could  hardly 
be  called  "  natural,"  for  the  simple  reason  that  no  one 
but  myself  would  trouble  to  keep  the  back  straight  when 
"  mounting  a  chair  or  any  other  object  of  the  same  height." 

I  acknowledged  that  the  movement  performed  under 
a  condition  of  perfect  balance  was  not  habitual,  and  would 
probably  be  impossible  for  nearly  everyone  ,*  but  the  reason 
for  this  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  modern  human  being  has 
wandered  so  far  from  the  thing  that  is  finest  in  Nature, 
that  he  is  unable  to  realise  that  the  habitual  movements 
are  really  those  which  are  wwnatural. 

And  now,  what  are,  to  me,  the  two  most  interesting 
positions  of  the  whole  series,  are  shown  as  enlargements 
on  the  second  page  of  Cinema  Series  No.  4. 

They  are  interesting  from  the  point  of  view  of  having 
been  absolutely  unconscious,  for  in  the  last  one  of  all  I 
72 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.  4. 


Copyiighl.] 


Movement  ot  the  Leap  of  the  Charioteer. 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.   4.  (continued). 


Copyright.l 

Continuation  ot"  the  Movement  of  the  Leap,  showing  Descent  from  the  Chariot. 


SCULPTURE   AND   LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

was  unaware  of  being  still  under  the  eye  of  the  cinemato- 
graph. When  I  saw  the  whole  series  shown  on  the  screen 
at  the  Institut  Marey,  I  was  pleased  to  find  the  relative 
positions  of  the  spine  and  the  bending  springs  had  been 
maintained  throughout.  Then,  one  day,  at  the  Louvre, 
while  hunting  about  for  odd  pieces  of  sculpture  represent- 
ing movement,  I  came  across  the  identical  position  of  my 
descent  from  the  case  in  a  glorious  bit  of  frieze  representing 
the  Apotheosis  of  Herakles,  found  at  Delphi,  shown  on 
Plate  XXX. 

The  chariot  is  there  waiting  to  convey  Herakles  to 
Olympus,  and  Pallas  Athena  is  alighting  from  it,  with  the 
straight  back  and  the  extreme  bend  of  knee  and  foot 
which  indicate  the  possession  of  perfect  springs.  Compare 
her  with  figure  D  of  Cinema  Series  No.  4,  and  the  striking 
resemblance  will  at  once  be  noticed. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  curious  explanations 
given  for  certain  positions  in  sculpture,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  it  has  either  not  occurred  to,  or  not  been 
possible  for,  the  critic  to  test  the  truth  of  the  explanation 
on  his  own  muscles. 

One  of  the  most  striking  examples  of  this  is  in 
connection  with  the  statue  called  the  "  Heros  Combattant  " 
at  the  Louvre. 

In  a  detailed  and  very  fine  general  description  of  the 
statue.  Professor  Coligonon  states  that  the  position  of 
the  left  foot,  which  is  turned  out  at  right  angles  to  that 
of  the  right,  is  for  the  purpose  of  widening  the  base. 

If   Plate  XXXI.'^  is  studied  carefully,  it  will  be  seen 

73 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

that  the  whole  weight  of  the  body  is  forward  over  the 
right  foot.  The  right  foot,  therefore,  constitutes  the  base, 
and  the  left  has  nothing  to  do  with  it  and  is  merely 
touching  the  ground  with  the  toes,  which  have  absolutely 
no  weight  over  them.  Why,  then,  is  the  foot  turned 
outwards  when,  if  another  lunge  is  made,  it  in  turn  will 
be  brought  forward  and  presumably  placed  upon  the 
ground  as  straight  as  the  right  now  stands  ?  For  this 
reason,  the  pause  is  a  momentary  one,  in  what  has  been  a 
furious  rush  forward.  There  are  attacks  to  be  parried  on 
every  side,  and  the  shield  arm  is  raised,  while  the  sword 
arm  is  ready  for  the  counter  thrust.  It  might  be  Hector 
cutting  his  way  through  the  raging  battle  around  him  in 
the  effort  to  rescue  the  body  of  Sarpedon  : — 

"  And  in  rushed  Hector,  fierce  and  grim  as  any  stormy  night, 
His  brass  arms  round  about  his  breast,  reflected  terrible  Hght  .  .  . 
None  but  the  Gods  might  check  his  way,  his  eyes  were  furnaces  .  .  , 

Every  muscle  in  the  body  is  in  the  utmost  tension,  all 
are  bound  together  as  one  connected  spring,  and  the 
position  of  the  left  foot  is  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
preserving  tense  connection  at  the  left  hip,  so  that  no 
extra  weight  of  a  disconnected  limb  should  overbalance 
the  body,  poised  as  it  is  on  the  right  foot.  Note  the 
hollow  formed  by  the  tense  muscle  where  the  thigh  bone 
is  turned  right  back  into  the  socket  of  the  hip. 

The  secret  of  the  out-turned  foot  lies  there,  for  it  is 
only  by  turning  out  the  foot  of  that  tense,  vibrating  leg 
that  it  can  be  held  locked  in  the  hip,  part  of  the  spine, 
one  with  the  whole  weight  of  the  body.     If,  when  the  leg 

74 


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X 
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w 
< 

Ph 


SCULPTURE   AND   LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

is  tense  and  locked,  the  foot  is  lifted  from  the  ground,  it 
will  be  found  that  the  movement  in  no  way  affects  the 
poise ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  toes  are  turned  in 
towards  the  front,  the  balance  will  collapse  at  once  over 
the  left  side,  and  any  attempt  to  lift  the  foot  clear  of  the 
ground  will  prove  impossible. 

It  is  quite  easy  to  test  this  by  taking  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  position  of  the  warrior,  keeping  the  weight 
entirely  over  the  right  foot,  and  holding  the  left  leg  as 
tense  as  possible.  Now,  try  turning  the  left  toes  in 
towards  the  front,  and  follow  carefully  what  happens  to 
the  leg  at  the  hip.  It  immediately  becomes  unlocked, 
and  as  a  result  the  extra  weight  drags  the  body  down  over 
the  left  in  a  way  that  makes  it  impossible  to  keep  the 
balance  an  instant,  especially  if  the  position  is  tried  with 
the  extra  weight  of  a  shield  on  the  left  arm ;  though,  if 
the  test  be  made  with  this  additional  weight  on  the  left, 
the  sword  must  be  held  in  the  right  or  the  test  will  not  be 
accurate. 

There  are  so  many  examples  of  this  position  in  antique 
sculpture  that  it  seems  strange  that  the  reason  for  the 
invariable  position  of  the  left  foot  should  not  have  been 
given  before.  One  of  the  finest  is  that  of  the  bronze 
figure  of  the  Fighting  Theseus,  at  the  Bibliotheque 
Nationale  in  Paris,  a  photograph  of  which  is  given  on 
Plate  XXXI."  In  this  case,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  left 
foot  is  barely  touching  the  ground,  and  the  whole  poise  is 
beautifully  accurate  on  the  right  foot.  When  this  left 
foot  is  turned  in,  that  is  to   say,  when  the  toes,  bent  or 

75 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

otherwise,  are  in  line  with  the  heel,  the  weight  of  the 
body  becomes  divided  between  the  two  feet,  and  when 
this  happens  in  a  lunging  position,  the  left  knee  bends 
under  a  strain  almost  impossible  to  bear,  and  must  soon 
come  to  the  ground  as  base  for  the  whole  weight ; 
whereas,  if  the  left  foot  is  turned  out,  even  with  the 
knee  bent  to  the  utmost,  the  weight  of  the  body  can 
quite  easily  be  kept  off  the  ground.  This  fact  is 
very  finely  demonstrated  in  the  beautiful  marble  statue 
ascribed  to  Myron,  which  is  in  the  Terme  Museum 
in  Rome,  and  is  known  as  the  Youth  of  Subiaco,  shown 
on  Plate  XXXII/  The  impression  one  receives  from 
the  position  is  that  of  exhaustion,  collapse,  as  though  he 
were  making  a  last  desperate  defence  against  an  attack 
from  above,  in  which  case  he  is  most  probably  meant  to 
represent  Ganymede  defending  himself  against  the  eagle. 
The  base  is  obviously  the  left  knee,  which  in  another 
moment  will  be  on  the  ground.  An  interesting  fact  to  be 
noticed  is,  that  had  the  position  been  intended  to  represent 
anything  else  than  collapse,  the  left  foot  would  have  been 
placed  lying  over  on  the  inside  line  with  the  ankle  on  the 
ground,  for  in  this  position  the  knee  is  locked  into  its 
hold  and  the  side  muscles  then  form  so  strong  a  spring 
that  the  weight  of  the  body  can  be  transferred  with  equal 
ease  on  to  either  one  foot  or  the  other.  This  alternative 
position  is  represented  on  Plate  XXXII. ^,  in  which  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  poise  gives  no  impression  of  exhaustion, 
but  rather  that  of  a  spring  held  in  abeyance,  and  the 
change  has  been  made  by  the  position  of  the  left  foot 
76 


X 
X 
X 


o 


w 

< 


SCULPTURE   AND   LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

alone.  Compare  the  two  lines  from  the  left  shoulder  to 
the  left  foot  in  the  photograph  of  the  statue  and  that  of 
myself.  In  my  own  it  is  unbroken,  and  the  eye  travels 
unchecked  from  one  to  the  other.  But  take  that  of  the 
statue,  and  it  will  be  found  that  the  eye  is  forced  to  stop 
at  the  knee,  the  whole  drag  is  there,  and  one  feels 
relieved  to  see  the  little  support  under  it,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  it  is  not  supposed  to  be  there,  being  merely  a 
sculptural  necessity.  The  whole  of  this  difference  in  line 
and  in  the  impression  it  produces  is  due  to  the  angle 
of  the  left  foot  alone ;  but  this  one  detail  means  everything 
to  the  balance  of  the  body. 

The  next  statue,  the  position  of  which  interested  me 
very  much,  was  the  wounded  Amazon  of  the  Vatican, 
shown  on  Plate  XXXIIL  She  is  very  beautiful;  but  as 
to  whether  she  is  a  true  Pheidias  or  not,  I  would  not  venture 
an  opinion ;  or  even  as  to  whether  she  has  been  given  the 
right  head,  although  this  I  should  think  doubtful,  judging 
from  the  abrupt  angle  at  which  it  springs  from  the 
shoulders.  The  interest  for  me  lies  in  the  way  in  which 
her  arms  have  been  restored,  for  both  were  lost;  but 
there  was  sufficient  indication  to  make  it  obvious  that  the 
right  arm  was  raised.  It  has  been  restored  bent  right 
back  in  a  horizontal  line  across  the  top  of  her  head,  and 
although  it  looks  rather  aimless  to  be  bending  a  bow 
in  such  a  strained  position  while  gazing  sadly  on  the 
ground  with  averted  face,  yet  there  appears  to  be  no 
reason  why  the  position  should  be  impossible ;  that  is  to 
say,  no  reason  appears  when  studying  her  from  the  front, 

77 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

and  this  seems  to  be  the  only  point  of  view  taken  into 
consideration  by  her  restorer. 

By  great  good  fortune,  I  had  the  opportunity  recently 
of  studying  a  cast  of  this  statue,  with  permission  to  perform 
upon  her  any  surgical  operation  I  pleased,  so  I  promptly 
cut  off  her  arms  to  the  line  of  the  original  break,  and  she 
stood  revealed— for  there  is  nothing  so  baffling  as  a  wrong 
restoration.  Plate  XXXIV.^  shows  my  version  of  her 
position.  The  work  of  restoration  must,  of  course,  not  be 
criticised,  it  is  purely  amateur,  but,  in  spite  of  this,  the 
position  of  the  arms  is  as  I  wished  to  represent  them.' 

Looking  at  these  two  photographs,  both  taken  from 
the  same  point  of  view,  one  sees  nothing  to  justify  my 
assertion  that  the  position  of  the  right  arm  in  the  original 
restoration  makes  it  quite  impossible  for  her  to  stand 
for  an  instant.  It  is  not  till  we  look  at  the  figure  from 
other  angles  that  such  an  excessive  lean  forward  is 
apparent,  that  nothing  but  the  great  weight  of  the  base 
(extraneous  to  the  figure)  could  keep  the  statue  from 
toppling  over.  This  can  already  be  seen  from  a  three- 
quarter  view  of  the  left  side  of  the  statue,  and 
Plate  XXXIV. ^  shows  this  position,  where,  if  a  vertical  line 
is  drawn  from  the  centre  of  gravity  just  under  the  right 
breast,  it  will  reach  the  ground  about  two  inches  in  front 
of  the  base  of  the  cast,  and  about  five  or  six  inches  in 
front  of  the  right  foot,  on  which,  it  can  be  seen  at  a 
glance,   she   is  leaning  very  heavily.     There   is   absolutely 

^  The  photographs  of  the  altered  cast  were  taken  by  myself  and  appear 
for  the  first  time  here. 

78 


X 
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PLATE    XXXIII. 


Photo  Alinari.] 


Tlic  Amazon  of  the  Vatican. 


SCULPTURE   AND    LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

no  weight  on  the  left  foot ;  she  is  saving  it  all  she  can,  for 
it  is  obviously  wounded,  and  I  picture  her  leaning  on  her 
lance,  for  she  is  in  pain. 

Now  look  at  Plate  XXXIV.*^,  and  try  blocking  out  the 
restored  right  arm  as  well  as  the  lance,  and  see  how 
uncomfortable  it  is  to  look  at  such  an  overbalancing 
weight.  I  believe  the  usual  contention  is  that  statues  were 
made  to  be  looked  at  from  the  front,  but  no  sculptor 
of  repute,  much  less  Pheidias  himself,  would  have  com- 
mitted the  crime  of  placing  her  in  an  untenable  position, 
for  the  reason  that  it  would  not  be  noticed  from  the 
front;  and  surely  the  profile  shown  on  Plate  XXXI V.^  is 
sufficient  proof  that  she  must  have  had  a  support  of  some 
kind,  for  she  could  not  possibly  have  stood  where  she  was 
for  an  instant  without  one.  I  believe  it  is  asserted  that 
Pheidias  never  added  accessories ;  but  it  would  not  have 
been  necessary  for  him  actually  to  add  the  lance.  A 
people  so  familiar  as  the  Greeks  with  the  laws  of  balance, 
which  they  practised  every  day  at  the  Palaestra,  would 
have  grasped  his  meaning  from  the  mere  position  of  the 
hand,  or  from  the  addition  of  a  lance-head  alone.  The 
fact  that  she  is  not  walking,  but  is  in  repose,  makes  her 
position  still  more  impossible  without  support. 

Two  photographs  of  my  own  representation  of  the 
position  are  shown  in  Plates  XXXV.  and  XXXVL,  but  unfor- 
tunately my  lance  was  too  short  to  enable  me  to  give  the 
lift  of  the  right  arm  accurately,  and  it  will  be  seen  at 
once  that  the  arm  is  more  bent,  and  the  shoulder  lower. 
But  even  so,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  hold  the  position 

79 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

without  leaning  heavily  on  my  lance,  as  everyone  will  find 
who  cares  to  try  the  experiment  for  himself,  taking  care  that 
the  line  of  the  chest  at  the  thorax  is  six  or  eight  inches 
in  front  of  the  right  foot. 

The  theory  that  nearly  all  antique  sculpture  was 
meant  to  be  viewed  from  the  front  may  be  carried  too 
far  when  movements  of  the  body  which  might  be  ascribed 
to  quite  other  causes  are  explained  as  having  been  chosen 
by  the  sculptor  for  the  purpose  of  representing  as  much 
as  possible  of  two  planes,  irrespective  of  the  anatomical 
possibility  of  the  position.  A  typical  example  of  what  I 
mean  will  be  found  in  the  Pallas  Athena  of  the  Aeginetan 
Pediment,  shown  on  Plate  XXXVII.  Her  face  and  shoulders 
are  square  to  the  spectator,  while  her  feet  are  turning 
away  to  the  left  at  considerably  more  than  an  acute  angle, 
and  she  stands  with  lifted  spear  and  shield.  Whoever 
chiselled  this  splendid  goddess  of  the  strong  brow  and 
far-seeing  eyes  cared  little  for  the  showing  of  her  front 
view  simply  as  front  view.  Look  at  the  feet;  on^e  again 
they  indicate,  as  always,  the  movement  that  is  to  come. 
Had  they  been  facing  the  front  with  the  rest  of  the  body, 
Pallas  Athena  would  have  been  brooding,  dreaming, 
making  fresh  plans  for  the  protection  of  her  favourites 
or  the  overthrow  of  their  enemies.  But  her  feet  are 
moving  already,  she  is  in  the  midst  of  her  beloved  Greeks, 
inciting,  encouraging,  leading,  and  always  with  the  calm 
and  reassuring  smile  that  knows  its  own  power.  She  is 
facing  round  for  an  instant  to  give  some  advice  or  en- 
couragement; the  next  moment  may  see  her  spear  arm 
80 


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PLATE    XXXV. 


Copyright.'^ 


Full  \'ic\v  Representation  of  the  Amazon. 


PLATE    XXXVI. 


Copy'rigln.] 


Profile  of  the  Representation  of  the  Amazon. 


SCULPTURE   AND   LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

aloft,  her  body  swung  to  the  other  side,  with  the  position 
of  her  feet  barely  changed. 

These  gods  and  goddesses  of  splendid  build  and 
perfect  aliveness  needed  no  clumsy  change  of  feet  to 
enable  them  to  turn  round  and  see  what  was  happening 
behind  them.  Those  lithe  tense  bodies  could  twist  as 
they  pleased.  A  goddess  who  could  not  command  three 
points  of  the  horizon  without  having  to  turn  her  feet 
was  no  true  goddess ;  and  as  a  sculptor's  conception  of 
a  god  or  goddess  was  based  on  the  movements  of  the 
finest  men  and  women  around  him,  he  must  often  have 
seen  examples  of  this  movement. 

Look,  too,  at  the  little  figure  of  the  Athena  in 
Plate  XXX.,  as  she  dismounts  from  the  chariot  in 
which  Herakles  is  to  be  carried  to  Olympus.  She  serves 
to  illustrate  two  points.  I  have  already  drawn  attention  to 
her  beautiful  little  straight  back ;  now,  look  at  the  way 
she  is  turning  completely  round  from  the  waist,  her  right 
hand  still  holding  the  reins  perfectly  taut  until  she  is 
actually  on  the  ground ;  all  the  lower  part  of  her  body 
is  stepping  out  from  the  back  of  the  chariot,  while  her 
head  and  shoulders  are  still  facing  the  horses. 

There  are  numerous  other  examples  of  this  position  in 
vase-paintings,  all  of  them  vibrating  with  the  full  and 
perfected  activity  that  made  these  movements  natural  as 
well  as  habitual ;  and  therefore  it  is  impossible  to  conceive 
either  painters  or  sculptors  as  men  unable  to  get  beyond 
the  representation  of  two  planes.  Look  at  them  now  in 
the  new  Hght  of  a  far  different  activity  from  that  which 

8i 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

is  expressed  by  the  movement  of  a  modern  human  being, 
and  the  two-plane  theory  disappears. 

Three  photographs  are  shown  on  Plates  XXXVIII., 
XXXIX.  and  XL.,  in  which  the  body  has  taken  three 
different  positions  without  any  movement  of  the  feet 
except  a  slight  pivoting.  All  three  positions  will  be 
found  on  vase-paintings.  Personally,  I  find  it  quite  easy 
to  throw  a  lance  to  all  four  points  of  the  compass  without 
moving  the  feet  at  all.  I  should  begin  in  the  position 
represented  on  Plate  XXXIX.,  but  with  the  head  and 
shoulders  turned  away,  facing  the  direction  of  the  right 
arm.  This  would  command  my  eastern  side,  supposing 
I  am  facing  north.  Then,  of  course,  would  follow 
the  turn  of  the  whole  body  for  the  command  of  the 
northern  section.-  For  that  of  the  western  I  should  merely 
turn  the  waist  to  the  left,  bringing  my  shoulders  into  a 
parallel  line  with  my  feet ;  while  for  the  last  position 
I  should  turn  it  farther  still  into  an  obtuse  angle  by 
lifting  the  left  foot  on  to  the  extreme  point  of  the  big 
toe,  though  without  altering  the  direction  of  the  foot  in  the 
least.  This  lifting  of  the  foot  gives  greater  length  to  the 
muscles  of  the  left  side,  and  enables  the  waist  to  turn 
easily  into  the  obtuse  angle,  and  thus  command  the  whole 
of  the  southern  section.  During  all  these  movements  of 
the  shoulders,  the  feet  will  have  remained  pointing  to  the 
north.  For  perfectly-trained,  elastic  muscles,  this  is  quite 
easy,  and  I  only  cite  it  here  as  the  more  likely  reason  for 
the  representation  of  a  very  favourite  position  in  antique 
sculpture. 
82 


PLATE    XXXVII. 


Photo  Giraudon.] 


The  Athena  ot  the  Acglnetan  Pediment. 


PLATE    XXXVIII. 


Copynglit.] 


Rcprcscinatlon  ot  a  X'asc  Painting  ot  the  Athena. 


PLATE    XXXIX. 


Copyright.] 


A  complete  \'oltc  Face  withoiu  litiing  the  Fi 


PLATE    XL. 


Copyrii;!/!.] 


Anolhcr  Change  ot'  Position  uiih  Kcct  still  unchanged. 


SCULPTURE   AND   LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

The  last  statue  I  have  chosen  to  represent  here  is  that 
of  the  little  goddess  Fortuna,  shown  on  Plate  XLL,  an 
exquisite  little  bronze  statue  in  the  Naples  Museum.  Some 
archaeologists  say  she  was  meant  to  be  flying  and  that 
parts  of  the  wings  are  left,  also  that  the  globe  does  not 
belong  to  the  statue,  being  of  a  much  later  period.  This 
is  all  possible,  and  yet,  who,  looking  at  her  as  she  stands 
serenely  poised,  can  deny  that  the  man  who  restored  her 
thus  was  inspired?  Silent  and  immovable  she  stands,  on  a 
bronze  globe  garlanded  with  spring  flowers,  to  represent 
the  Earth.  Drawn  up  on  to  the  extreme  point  of  her  toes, 
she  looks  as  though  hovering  over  the  world,  light  as 
thistledown,  and  yet,  in  her  tense,  vibrating  immobility, 
she  is  the  very  essence  of  Force,  an  expression  of  the 
controlled  Will  Power  which  dominates,  while  yet  able  to 
rise  above  things  earthly.  Plate  XLIL  is  my  reproduc- 
tion of  this  statue  as  an  example  of  pure  poise.  I  have 
shown  it  in  profile  so  that  the  position  of  the  feet  may  be 
more  clearly  seen,  and  also  to  prove  that  the  balance  is 
maintained  solely  by  the  tremendous  grip  of  the  toes, 
the  ball  of  the  foot  being  raised  some  distance  above 
them.  This  photograph  forms  also  a  good  illustration 
of  the  possibility,  under  a  special  condition  of  Tension, 
of  standing  on  a  smooth  sphere  without  any  artificial 
aid,  drawn  up  on  to  the  first  phalanx  of  the  toes,  and 
maintaining  the  position  for  nearly  two  minutes. 

The  remaining  photographs  in  this  chapter  illustrate 
different  positions  in  my  interpretation  of  a  Greek  dance. 
They  were  all  taken  in  actual  movement,  and  are  interesting 

83 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

from  the  point  of  view  of  balance,  for  the  reason  that  the 
vertical  line  from  the  centre  of  gravity  to  its  base  remains 
in  every  case  unbroken.  The  base  is  invariably  the  ball 
of  either  the  right  or  left  foot. 

Plate  XLIII.  is  an  almost  identical  reproduction  of  the 
position  of  the  Aphrodite  in  the  painting  found  at  the 
Villa  Item,  in  which  she  is  teaching  the  infant  Dionysus 
to  dance  on  his  little  toes.  Plate  XLIV.  is  a  good  example 
of  the  lightness  of  touch  upon  the  ground  resulting  from 
extreme  Tension.  Plate  XLV.  is  a  very  good  instantaneous 
photograph  of  the  movement  which  constitutes  the 
recurring  motif  of  the  dance,  viz.,  that  of  the  Greek 
Dancing  Boy,  one  of  the  finest  of  the  vase-paintings,  and 
shown  in  diagram.  It  was  a  great  puzzle  to  know  how 
he  arrived  at  such  a  position  as  the  result  of  a  harmonious 
and  rhythmical  change,  because  the  mere  lifting  back  of 
one  foot  at  intervals  would  have  been  anything  but  a 
beautiful  movement.  Eventually,  I  found  what  he  was 
doing,  and  reconstructed  the  beautiful  curves  which  led  up 
to  his  poise.  I  also  found  that  it  was  impossible  to  arrive 
at  it  except  on  the  ball  of  the  toes.  Plates  XL VI.  and 
XLVII.  show  two  more  positions  in  the  dance. 

With  these  last  photographs  I  close  the  first  part 
of  the  book,  for  with  this  chapter  ends  all  that  is 
demonstrable  by  photograph  or  design. 

Three  aspects  of  a  training  in  balance  under  Tension 

have  been  studied  :  that  in  relation  to  physical  development, 

that  connected  with   mathematics,  and  finally  that  which 

applies  to  sculpture.      There  are  still  two  more  phases  to 

84 


PLATE    XLI. 


I'lwto  .■lliiiaii.\ 


The  Goddess  I'ortuna  (Naples  Museum). 


PLATE   XLII. 


Copyright.] 


Poise  of  the   Forcuna  in   Profile. 


PLATE    XLIII. 


Copynght.l 


Tosition  of"  the  Apl.r.)diic  at  tlic  \'ilhi  hem. 


PLATE    XLIV. 


Copyti^ht. 


PLATE    XLV. 


Ci/>vr.'A'A/.] 


Position  ot  the  Greek  Dancing  Boy. 


PLATE    XLVI. 


Copyri'jhl. 


PLATE    XLVII. 


Copyyighl. 


SCULPTURE   AND   LAWS   OF    BALANCE 

be   examined,    but   what    follows    can    be    shown    by    no 
photographs,  proved  by  no  designs. 

So  far,  I  have  dealt  with  actions,  definite  and  visible. 
Henceforth  reactions  take  their  place,  just  as  definite,  just 
as  visible,  but  on  a  different  plane,  and  in  the  end  of  far 
more  intrinsic  value. 


85 


CHAPTER   VII 

MENTAL  REACTIONS 

"  The  laws  of  moral  nature  answer  to  those  of  matter  as  face  to  face 
in  a  glass     .     .     . 

"  The  axioms  of  physics  translate  the  laws  of  ethics.  Thus:  Reaction 
is  equal  to  action." 

Emerson. 

IN  the  formulation  of  a  new  theory,  child  of  one's  own 
brain,  one  is  confronted  with  many  difficulties,  not  the 
least  among  them  being  that  of  making  intelligible  the 
language  with  which  it  has  spoken  at  birth ;  a  language 
quite  clear  to  its  parent,  rendered  so  by  the  absence  of  any 
necessity  for  actual  utterance,  and  above  all  for  the  reason 
that  one  has  lived  with  it  from  its  birth  and  become 
familiar  with  its  every  expression. 

The  theory  enunciated  in  the  following  chapters  is  the 
result  of  five  years*  work,  during  which  every  step  was 
proved,  not  only  in  my  own  experience,  but  in  that  of 
many  others.  It  is  offered  because  it  is  a  conviction- 
drawn  from  ideas,  practice,  experience  and  realisation. 

The  reflex  action  of  physical  movement  upon  the  brain 
is  not  yet  generally  recognised,  although  the  admitted 
relation  between  muscle  and  mind  has  been  proved  by 
the  latest  method  of  training  a  mentally  deficient  child 
through  motor  culture  to  intellectual.  But  I  have  gone 
86 


MENTAL   REACTIONS 

farther,  by  proving  that  the  principle  may  be  applied  in 
more  elaborate  form  to  the  normal  child,  also  to  the  adult, 
with  the  certainty  of  being  able  to  produce  a  higher  stage 
of  mental  development. 

The  individual  powers  are  increased  to  their  maximum, 
and  great  change  in  degree  may  become  change  in  kind. 

The  link  between  the  two  organisations  is  Tension, 
which,  while  connecting  the  chain  of  physical  processes 
with  that  of  the  mental,  is  allied  to  both.  This  merging 
of  the  organisations  is  only  possible  when  the  degree  of 
sensitiveness  to  which  the  nervous  and  muscular  tissues 
have  been  brought  has  reached  the  culminating  point  of 
development.  The  physical  activities  are  then  hardly 
distinguishable  from  those  usually  regarded  as  purely 
mental,  and  this  fusion  of  the  two  forces  doubles  the 
intensity  of  both :  that  of  the  physical,  by  contributing 
a  perfected  system  of  transmission  for  the  will  without 
obstacle  or  resistance ;  that  of  the  mental,  by  reason  of 
its  liberated  power  of  expression,  which  makes  possible 
a  stronger  and  more  varied  current  of  ideas,  and  removes 
farther  and  farther  the  limitation  of  physical  disability. 

Let  us  now  examine  more  closely  the  definite  reactions 
set  up  in  the  machinery  of  the  brain  by  this  process  of 
keying  up  the  muscular  and  nervous  tissues  of  the  body 
through  Tension.  This  process  of  keying  up  produces  a 
very  highly  developed  degree  of  sense  activity,  which  may 
best  be  described  as  the  full  consciousness  of  every  muscle, 
a  condition  which  allows  of  the  instant  transmission  of 
messages  from  the  brain. 

87 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

The  road  along  which  we  are  now  travelling  needs 
very  careful  clearing,  otherwise  the  use  of  certain  ex- 
pressions may  prove  misleading.  I  will  first  therefore 
define  my  meaning  of  the  phrase  "  full  consciousness  of 
every  muscle." 

This  involves  no  actual  anatomical  knowledge ;  scien- 
tific knowledge  of  this  sort  in  no  way  furthers  a  perfect 
physical  training.  On  the  contrary,  I  should  regard  it  as 
a  drawback,  in  the  same  way  that  a  very  detailed  physio- 
logical knowledge,  under  certain  conditions,  is  conducive 
to  exaggerated  care,  or  even  nervous  apprehension. 
Therefore,  the  full  consciousness  of  every  muscle  in  no 
way  necessitates  a  knowledge  of  their  names,  nor  even 
scientific  understanding  of  their  functions.  The  con- 
sciousness of  which  I  speak  is  the  result  of  an  increased 
sense  activity,  which  forms  the  soundest  basis  for  all 
experimental  reasoning,  the  only  reasoning  on  which  one 
may  theorise  with  certainty.  Hypothesis  and  synthesis 
then  become  merely  different  stages  in  one  experiment  on 
a  complete  organisation,  and  not,  as  is  usually  the  case, 
the  result  of  a  theory  evolved  by  one  person  and  tested  on 
another,  from  which  the  conclusions  drawn  do  not  result 
in  absolute  certainty. 

The  fullest  consciousness,  as  also  the  truest  knowl- 
edge, come  through  increased  sensitiveness,  both  physical 
and  mental,  and  are  independent  of  all  scientific  educa- 
tion, while  forming  an  indispensable  attribute  to  it. 

In  reply  to  the  question  that  may  be  raised  as  to 
whether  this  full  consciousness  is  likely  to  destroy 
88 


MENTAL   REACTIONS 

spontaneity,  it  must  be  remembered  that  there  is  a 
significant  difference  between  consciousness  and  self- 
consciousness.  The  more  consciously  one  controls 
action  of  any  kind,  the  more  one  concentrates  upon  the 
thing  one  is  doing  and  the  less  upon  the  self  that  is 
doing  it. 

Self-consciousness  implies  a  wandering  notice  of  how 
others  may  regard  one's  action,  while  full  consciousness 
involves  a  power  of  concentration  on  the  action  performed, 
to  the  entire  elimination  of  self  as  the  performer,  and 
therefore  becomes  true  spontaneity,  which  means  purely 
internal  suggestion  independent  of  all  stimulus  from 
without,  with  complete  indifference  to  and  independence 
of  external  interference  or  constraint. 

Let  us  return  then  to  the  most  important  function  of 
this  full  consciousness,  the  power  of  instant  transmission  of 
messages  from  the  brain. 

To  be  able  to  operate  in  this  way,  the  brain  must  be 
in  perfect  working  order,  constantly  alert,  for  in  a  series 
of  rapidly  changing  movements,  messages  have  to  be  sent 
without  hesitation  and  in  their  right  order,  otherwise  a 
block  occurs. 

Roughly  speaking,  the  activities  of  the  brain  may  be 
classified  into  three  departments.  The  first  receives  im- 
pressions ;  the  second  forms  ideas  from  those  impressions ; 
the  third  expresses  those  ideas  in  action. 

We  will  suppose  that  the  first  department  receives  an 
impression ;  it  then  passes  it  on  to  the  creative  department 
to  be  registered  as  a  definite  idea,  after  which  it  passes  to 

89 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  third  department  to  be  expressed  in  action — or  not,  as 
the  case  may  be. 

In  any  case,  the  impression  has  passed  through  each 
department  and  left  the  road  clear  for  the  next.  This 
process  is  quite  simple  while  impressions  are  being 
received  slowly;  the  difficulty  arises  when  the  impressions 
follow  each  other  very  rapidly,  for  unless  all  three  depart- 
ments are  in  perfect  working  order,  the  result  is  a  clogging 
of  the  second  or  registering  department,  which  is  unable  to 
check  off  the  impressions  as  they  are  received,  so  they  lie 
piled  up,  as  it  were,  in  a  blur  of  unconsciousness,  which 
may  or  may  not  result  in  action,  but  which  could  never 
result  in  consciously  controlled  action. 

The  expression  "  blur  of  unconsciousness  "  is  perhaps 
better  defined  as  a  substratum  of  impressions  which  have 
never  been  consciously  registered,  and  which  form  a  sort 
of  sediment  of  thought  liable  to  rise  and  obscure  the 
clearer  ideas. 

It  is  here  that  I  venture  to  estabHsh  a  connection 
between  my  own  theory  of  altered  mental  activity, 
and  one  put  forward  by  the  late  William  James  in 
his  lecture  on  "  Human  Immortality."  He  suggests 
that  the  brain  is  not  a  producer,  but  a  transmitter,  of 
thought : 

"According  to  the  state  in  which  the  brain  finds 
itself,  the  barrier  of  obstructiveness  may  be  supposed  to 
rise  and  fall.  It  sinks  so  low  when  the  brain  is  in  full 
activity  that  a  comparative  flood  of  spiritual  energy  pours 
over.  At  other  times,  only  such  occasional  waves  of 
90 


MENTAL   REACTIONS 

thought  as  heavy  sleep  permits  get  by.  The  brain,  under 
these  circumstances,  would  be  the  independent  variable, 
but  the  mind  would  vary  dependently  on  it." 

In  connection  with  this  idea  I  am  able  to  state  as  fact 
that  it  is  possible  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  this  "  barrier  of 
obstructiveness "  by  the  practice  of  perfectly  balanced 
sequential  movement.  It  takes  a  long  while  to  accom- 
plish, but  it  can  be  done. 

One  begins  with  a  brain  which  may  be  compared  to  a 
clumsy  instrument,  which  only  allows  at  first  the  passing 
of  incomplete  ideas. 

With  practice,  the  clumsy  instrument  makes  for  itself 
something  finer  and  more  complex;  that  is  to  say,  it 
brings  into  use  the  more  sensitive  portions  of  its  mechan- 
ism, until  finally  it  arrives  at  the  power  to  make  a  sort  of 
mental  fine  adjustment  wheel  which  is  able  to  register 
hair's  breadth  differences  and  flashes,  which  before  were 
impossible  to  the  less  perfect  instrument. 

It  is  the  possession  of  this  mental  fine  adjustment 
wheel  which  gives  the  perception  of  things  through  their 
essence,  through  the  knowledge  of  their  proximate  cause, 
instead  of  by  their  result,  and  enables  the  judgment  to 
subordinate  the  importance  of  action  to  that  of  motive 
and  incentive. 

The  immediate  transmission  of  messages  from  the 
brain,  together  with  their  instant  transformation  into 
action,  constitutes  the  very  highest  realisation  of  Will 
Power,  and  on  Will  Power  depends  the  amount  of  control 
possible  to  a  human  being. 

91 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

The  chain  of  mental  processes  may  thus  be  formed 
in  the  following  way : 

Consciousness  pure  and  simple  may  be  defined  as  the 
awareness  of  force,  and  the  fuller  or  more  awakened  this 
consciousness  becomes,  the  greater  will  be  the  power  of  its 
activity,  force  itself  being  consciousness  rendered  active. 

The  maximum  activity  can  only  be  reached  through 
Tension,  therefore  the  particular  degree  of  awakened 
consciousness  which  may  be  acquired  depends  on  the 
amount  of  Tension  applied  to  the  muscular  tissues. 

The  amount  of  Tension  is  governed  by  the  degree  to 
which  control  may  be  exercised,  and  control  depends 
entirely  upon  Will  Power. 

Therefore,  as  Will  Power  is  the  medium  of  expression 
of  conscious  force,  it  forms  the  last  link  in  this  deductive 
chain,  and  comes  in  touch  with  the  first,  which  was 
passive  consciousness. 

The  most  important  result,  then,  of  these  mental 
processes  is  the  acquisition  of  an  enormously  strength- 
ened Will  Power,  the  secret  of  concentration. 

In  the  performance  of  the  sequential  exercises,  the 
first  call  that  is  made  upon  the  brain  is  for  concentration — 
a  concentration,  moreover,  of  a  very  peculiar  type,  and 
entirely  contrary  to  the  usual  fixed  attention  required  in 
the  study  of  problematical  subjects  or  in  the  effort  to 
commit  long  passages  to  memory.  In  these  latter  cases 
the  brain  works  upon  itself,  so  to  speak,  a  process  resulting 
in  a  degree  of  fatigue  which  finally  makes  concentration 
impossible. 
92 


MENTAL   REACTIONS 

The  sort  of  concentration  needed  in  sequential  move- 
ment requires  that  the  effort  made  should  be,  not  upon 
the  brain  itself,  but  upon  the  dynamic  expression  of  its 
ideas,  and  as  this  dynamic  expression  demands  extremely 
rapid  execution,  it  stands  to  reason  that  the  brain  move- 
ment, or  thought  registration,  must  unfailingly  precede 
the  physical  movement. 

This  results  in  the  development  of  an  elastic  and 
widely  comprehensive  form  of  concentration,  one  that  is  able 
to  pass  rapidly  from  one  point  to  another,  while  yet  retaining 
a  clear  and  definite  idea  of  the  sequence  as  a  whole. 

While  the  ordinary  type  of  fixed  concentration  is 
unable  to  perform  movements  of  rapid  mental  registration, 
that  of  elastic  concentration  includes  the  power  of  fixing 
on  any  particular  point  or  subject  with  much  greater  clear- 
ness of  perception  than  would  otherwise  be  possible. 

In  his  "Text-Book  of  Psychology"  William  James 
says : 

"  The  faculty  of  voluntarily  bringing  back  a  wandering 
attention  over  and  over  again  is  the  very  root  of  judgment, 
character,  and  will ;  no  one  is  compos  sui  if  he  have  it  not. 
An  education  which  should  improve  this  faculty  would  be 
the  education  par  excellence.  But  it  is  easier  to  define 
this  ideal  than  to  give  practical  directions  for  bringing 
it  about." 

Another  and  greater  philosopher — Socrates — once  said 
to  his  pupils : 

"  Self-control  is  an  exact  science,  and  when  discovered 
the  whole  world  may  become  virtuous." 

93 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

The  basis  of  this  science  lies  in  a  perfect  physical 
development :  on  that  alone  depends  the  mighty  structure 
of  an  awakened  consciousness,  and,  as  "  the  laws  of  moral 
nature  answer  to  those  of  matter  as  face  to  face  in  a  glass," 
the  evolution  of  a  perfected  mental  organisation  is,  I  am 
convinced,  governed  by  the  same  laws  as  that  of  physical 
development.  A  completely  altered  condition  of  mental 
activity  is  made  possible  by  rendering  the  machinery  of 
the  brain  in  perfect  working  order  through  the  reacting 
influence  of  the  practice  of  sequential  movement  under 
Tension,  compHcated  by  extremely  difficult  conditions  of 
balance. 

In  the  physical  world,  the  fatigue  caused  by  the 
vacillating  movements  of  an  unbalanced  body  corresponds 
to  that  caused  in  the  brain  by  the  friction  of  indecision. 

A  sure  knowledge  of  the  individual  power  of  each 
muscle  with  an  absolute  reliance  on  their  being  able  to 
respond  instantly  to  any  call  that  is  made  upon  them, 
finds  its  mental  reaction  in  what  Browning  called  "  the 
eventual  element  of  calm,"  that  indispensable  basis  of 
judgment,  a  condition  of  mental  equipoise  which  makes 
possible  the  control  of  all  thought-movement. 

Here  it  may  be  advisable  to  define  what  I  mean  by 
control,  for  it  does  not  necessarily  mean  restraint  or 
checking  or  holding  back,  but  may  equally  represent 
stimulative  as  well  as  repressive  power. 

"  Self-mastery  "  is  the  more  complete  rendering  of  the 
idea ;  the  abiHty  to  let  oneself  go,  being  sure  of  one's  hold 
on  the  reins;  not  the  license  of  unrestraint,  but  the  Power 

94 


MENTAL   REACTIONS 

of  Freedom.  Epictetus  said :  "  He  only  is  free  who  can 
control  himself." 

Before  dealing  with  further  reactions,  there  are  two 
points  I  wish  to  take  up  in  detail,  although  both  of  them 
are  merely  side  issues,  and  have  no  immediate  connection 
with  the  main  theory. 

The  first  is  in  connection  with  the  substratum  of 
impressions  which  are  formed  by  the  clogging  of  the 
registering  department  of  the  brain  when  unable  to  keep 
pace  with  the  work  required  of  it. 

I  venture  to  offer  the  conjecture  that  this  substratum 
of  unregistered  impressions  constitutes  the  subconscious 
self,  and  that  is  a  condition  arising  from  habitual  neglect 
of  the  training  necessary  for  the  perfect  working  of  the 
mental  machinery — a  neglect  not  of  the  individual  only, 
but  of  the  race,  and  which  may  become  quite  as  much  an 
hereditary  weakness  as  any  of  the  more  definite  physical 
diseases.  Although  I  speak  of  a  condition  in  which  sub- 
consciousness predominates  as  one  of  weakness,  it  does  not 
necessarily  imply  that  all  action  directed  by  the  sub- 
conscious self  must  invariably  be  bad.  That  will  depend 
upon  hereditary  tendencies  and  traditional  influences ;  but 
habitually  controlled  action  can  only  be  the  result  of  a 
continuous  motor  existence,  the  outcome  of  a  brain  that  is 
always  alert,  where  every  moment  of  the  waking  hours  is 
fully  conscious,  where  every  thought  and  movement  has 
its  justification  and  nothing  comes  at  random. 

In  each  human  being  will  be  found  unplumbed  depths, 
to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree,  according  to  the  type  of  his 

95 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

antecedents,    depths    which    it    rests    with    each    one    to 
attempt  at  any  rate  to  fathom. 

The  transmission  of  hereditary  weakness  becomes  the 
key  to  the  solution  of  another  problem,  viz.,  the 
transmission  of  consciously  determined  qualities.  Heredity 
becomes  a  science  in  which  the  Will  Power  of  the  mother 
on  the  unborn  child  becomes  the  chief  factor.  When 
this  science  is  knowingly  neglected,  the  responsibility 
for  the  sins  of  the  children  rests  largely  upon  the  heads 
of  the  parents,  more  especially  upon  that  of  the  mother, 
who,  if  she  understand  aright  the  determinate  quality 
of  trained  Will  Power,  will  be  able  to  form  the  character 
of  the  child  before  ever  the  light  dawns  upon  its  earthly 
awakening. 

No  more  important  branch  exists  in  the  study  of 
Eugenics  than  this,  which  deals  with  the  definite  training 
of  the  unborn  mentality  by  the  will  of  the  mother. 

**  Man  is  a  god  in  ruins,"  says  Emerson,  "he  is  the 
dwarf  of  himself.  At  present  man  applies  to  Nature  but 
half  his  force.  ...  In  the  end,  we  shall  come  to  look 
at  the  world  with  new  eyes  ...  by  yielding  ourselves 
passive  to  the  Educated  Will." 

The  second  point  which  needs  further  elucidation  is  in 
connection  with  the  enormously  increased  power  of  active 
will  made  possible  by  Tension. 

Will  Power  may  be  divided  into  two  kinds,  that  which 
expresses  itself  in  a  force  which  is  the  result  of  instinctive 
desire  or  fear,  and  that  which  represents  the  force  which  is 
trained  and  controlled  by  reason. 
96 


MENTAL  REACTIONS 

The  first  permeates  the  whole  of  Nature,  animate  and 
inanimate,  and  acts  without  conscious  control.  The  second 
is  that  possessed  by  the  human  being  alone,  who  is  able  to 
direct  it  by  self-recognised  reasoning  power. 

I  have  been  asked  whether  this  Will  Power  or  active 
force  which  becomes  generated  and  enormously  strengthened 
under  a  condition  of  highly  developed  Tension  is  the  same 
as  that  of  a  panther  just  about  to  spring  at  its  prey ;  as  that 
which  gives  to  a  hunted  stag  the  power  to  leap  a  chasm  it 
would  never  have  attempted  without  a  pursuer  at  its  heels ; 
whether  it  is  this  which  enables  a  weak  woman  to  perform 
prodigies  of  strength  to  save  her  child  from  danger,  or  that 
has  taken  most  of  us  over  big  fences  out  hunting  that 
we  should  never  have  attempted  in  cold  blood.  "  Cold 
blood  1 "  that  zero  point  of  our  Will  Power  which  is 
thought  sufficient  for  everyday  use. 

In  all  these  instances,  the  resultant  force  is  the  same, 
and  the  condition  of  Tension  must  have  existed  as  an 
inseparable  medium  of  expression  for  that  force.  But  the 
incentive  causes  are  different.  In  the  case  of  the  wild 
animals,  instinct  guided  their  movements,  hunger  and  fear 
the  two  strongest,  while  in  the  case  of  most  human  beings, 
some  special  emergency  has  been  needed  to  awaken  it, 
either  danger  or  unusual  excitement.  After  these  spasmodic 
efforts  the  result  is  collapse  or  overstrain  to  a  greater  or 
lesser  degree,  according  to  the  stimulating  agent.  This  use 
of  Will  Power  as  the  result  of  accident  or  special  excitement 
may  be  classed  with  all  instinctive  or  uncontrolled  expression. 

The  Will  Power  that  is  possible  to  acquire  through  a 

97 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL  , 

systematic  training  in  Tension,  is  of  a  nature  that  forms  the 
basis  of  all  action,  however  simple ;  an  alert  control  which 
becomes  the  rule  instead  of  the  exception,  so  that  whatever 
call  is  made  upon  it,  the  answer  comes  at  once,  and  without 
effort,  leaving  no  penalty  of  overstrain,  a  condition  in 
which  catastrophe  or  mere  incident  receive  an  equally  ready 
response. 

The  power  to  place  oneself  at  will  in  a  condition  of 
Tension  in  which  force  may  be  expressed  at  its  maximum 
constitutes  practically  another  sense.  It  is  extremely 
difficult  to  define  in  words  what  this  sense  means  to  the 
one  who  is  able  to  acquire  it.  Completely  altered  vibration, 
producing  a  feeling  of  continuity  of  movement ;  a  conscious 
physical  connection  with  some  essential  force  of  the 
Universe,  together  with  the  ability  to  make  use  of  it — such 
a  description  may  raise  a  smile  of  incredulity,  but  this  is 
the  result  when  the  highest  degree  of  Tension  has  been 
attained  ;  at  this  culminating  point,  a  human  being  becomes 
able  to  comprehend  and  assimilate  Cosmic  Force  as  an 
almost  tangible  thing. 

This  highly  developed  sense  of  movement  thus  becomes 
a  perfected  sense  of  touch  to  the  degree  of  being  able  to 
feel  the  movement  of  vibrations  to  which  less  sensitively 
developed  organisations  are  dead. 

Aristotle  ranked  the  sense  of  touch  as  the  first  and 
most  important.  "  First  the  natural,  then  the  spiritual. 
The  sense  of  touch,  of  feeling,  is  the  basis  on  which  the 
other  and  higher  senses  rest." 

The  link  which  brings  the  trained  human  being  into 
98 


MENTAL   REACTIONS 

conscious  connection  with  things  Infinite  is  altered  vibration. 
It  is  possible  for  a  human  being  to  become  keyed  up,  as  it 
were,  to  a  pitch  of  sensitive  receptivity,  which  makes 
possible  this  assimilation  by  the  physical  organisation  of 
some  force,  from  which  it  must  be  separated  so  long  as  it 
cannot  respond  to  that  particular  standard  of  vibration. 

The  analogy  is  obviously  that  of  the  instruments  used 
for  wireless  telegraphy,  which  have  to  be  keyed  up  to  a 
certain  pitch  of  sensitiveness  before  being  able  to  receive 
and  respond  to  the  Hertzian  wave. 

Increased  rapidity  of  vibration  through  Tension  is 
productive  of  two  apparently  contradictory  results.  The 
first,  as  I  have  pointed  out,  is  that  of  a  highly  sensitive 
receptive  condition.  The  second  is  a  maximum  resistant 
power  to  other  forces. 

The  analogy  for  this  second  condition  is  a  spinning 
gyroscope,  which  generates  a  force  strong  enough  to  resist 
to  an  extraordinary  degree  any  effort  towards  deviation  of 
direction. 

It  is  even  possible  for  a  human  being  in  the  highest 
state  of  Tension  to  lose  all  consciousness  of  bodily  weight, 
having,  as  it  were,  come  in  touch  with  some  other  force, 
and  become  part  of  it,  to  the  extent  of  being  able  to  make 
use  of  its  power. 

My  own  theory  on  the  subject  is  that,  while  the  body 
is  in  this  condition  of  tense,  alert,  muscular  control,  it 
becomes  a  conductor  of  the  unknown  force  of  which  I 
spoke,  and  that  the  actual  weight  of  atmospheric  pressure, 
together   with    the    pull   of    gravitation,  which    give  to  a 

99 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

body  in  slack  condition  the  feeling  of  downward  drag,  are 
no  longer  felt,  being  enabled  to  pass  through  tense  matter, 
leaving  it  with  barely  the  sense  of  touch  upon  the  ground ; 
while  the  same  body,  left  limp  and  slack,  would  become 
non-conducting,  and,  so  to  speak,  earth  the  force,  in  the 
same  way  that  damp  wood  "earths"  or  "grounds"  an  electric 
current.  It  would  then  make  felt  every  pound  of  its  pres- 
sure, and  as  weight,  according  to  dynamic  law,  is  reckoned 
as  force,  the  pull  downwards  of  gravitation  which  we  regard 
as  weight  may  be  nullified  by  the  stretch  and  upward  lift 
of  Tension,  which  thus  becomes  a  counteracting  force. 

This  resistant  power  of  Tension  is  well  illustrated  in 
the  case  of  a  cat  falling,  and  Plate  XLVIII.  is  an  extraordi- 
nary example  of  the  instinctive  Tension  in  animals.*  The 
middle  photograph  in  the  bottom  row  shows  the  moment 
of  actual  contact,  when  the  cat's  legs  appear  stretched  to 
three  times  their  normal  length,  while  its  tail  is  reared  up 
in  a  vertical  line  above  its  back  like  a  steel  rod. 

It  is  practically  impossible  for  the  average  spectator  to 
register  this  position,  and  one  has  the  impression  that  the 
cat  comes  to  the  ground  in  the  condition  of  slack  elastic, 
as  shown  in  the  last  photograph. 

A  little  while  ago  I  said  that  the  power  to  place 
oneself  at  will  in  a  condition  of  Tension  constitutes 
practically  another  sense.  Looking  first  at  the  simplest 
result  of  Tension  as  a  trained  condition,  it  will  be  found 

^  This  selection  from  a  series  of  cinematographic  photographs  illustrat- 
ing the  rapidity  of  the  cat's  turn  in  the  air  has  been  kindly  lent  to  me  by  the 
Institut  Marey. 

lOO 


u 

<: 


u 


H 


MENTAL   REACTIONS 

that  movement  as  ordinarily  understood  is  as  different  from 
the  sense  of  movement  as  strokes  from  finished  writing. 

In  its  highest  form  of  development  it  becomes  a  thing 
almost  supernatural. 

A  sense  which  has  never  been  developed  or  which  has 
been  atrophied  or  destroyed  becomes  practically  non- 
existent. Sound  means  nothing  to  the  man  deaf  from 
birth,  but  Sound  is  there,  although  invisible  to  him,  while 
to  the  blind  man  sensitiveness  to  sound  is  developed  to 
such  an  abnormal  degree  that  he  is  able  to  sense  movement 
in  a  way  that  appears  nothing  short  of  miraculous  to  the 
ordinarily  endowed  human  being.  A  blind  man  may 
even  discern  differences  of  colour  through  their  varying 
vibrations.  When  this  sensitiveness  to  vibratory  move- 
ment is  developed  to  such  an  abnormal  degree,  it  resembles 
that  possessed  by  the  bat,  which  enables  it  to  avoid  during 
rapid  flight  any  object  with  which  it  might  come  in 
contact,  and  which  may  be  defined  as  a  sense  of  approach 
through  vibration. 

Science  has  been  able  to  apply  the  principle  of  the 
bat's  little  organ  to  an  instrument  which  is  now  being  fitted 
to  ocean  liners.  This  instrument  is  able  to  register  the 
distance  of  an  approaching  object,  either  vessel  or  iceberg, 
in  time  to  avoid  collision. 

All  these  analogies  go  to  prove  that  what  is  possible  to 
perfected  mechanics  is  also  possible  to  a  perfected  mental 
organisation,  but  to  a  much  greater  degree. 

So  long  as  one  keeps  unsevered  the  connecting  link 
between  the  mind  and  its   physical  means  of  expression, 

lOI 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

one  may  advance  without  fear  into  the  region  of  psycho- 
logical experiment  in  the  effort  to  attune  one's  nature  to  the 
highest  sensitiveness  attainable.  But  this  result  must  be 
achieved  by  keeping  in  touch  with  a  controlled  physical 
consciousness,  that  one's  visions  into  a  world  of  transcen- 
dentalism may  have  their  hold  on  the  solid  ground  of  reason 
and  fact. 

In  this  way  it  is  possible,  through  increased  sense 
activity,  to  realise  life  at  its  maximum,  to  gain  an  insight 
into  the  almost  limitless  possibilities  of  a  perfectly  trained 
Will  Power,  and  to  visualise  the  result  of  a  brain  mechanism 
so  perfect  structurally,  that  it  neither  distorts  nor  obstructs 
the  stream  of  consciousness  which  flows  through  each 
human  mind  from  the  **  Mother  Sea." 


I02 


CHAPTER   VIII 

SPIRITUAL   REACTIONS 

"  The  principal  contrast  under  which  effort  is  viewed  by  Aristotle 
is  that  of  mere  existence  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  complete  activity  on  the 
other,  of  empty  unsatisfied  life,  which  ever  looks  vaguely  beyond,  and  of 
life  which  realises  its  end  and  finds  satisfaction  in  itself,  of  the  being 
given  by  Nature  and  that  well-being  which  is  achieved  by  one's  own 
acts.  .  .  .  Aristotle,  in  fact,  is  profoundly  convinced  that  complete 
activity,  with  its  transformation  of  the  whole  being  into  living  reality, 
yields  at  the  same  time  the  full  sense  of  happiness. 

"Hence  happiness  is  principally  our  own  creation,  it  cannot  be 
communicated  from  without  nor  put  on  like  an  ornament;  rather  it  is 
proportional  to  rational  activity,  and  increases  with  it. 

"Hence  only  when  activity  attains  complete  substantial  efficiency^ 
does  it  lift  human  existence  up  to  happiness.'"  ^ 

SO  they  knew— those  Greeks  of  old— the  intimate  con- 
nection between  a  perfect  physical  development  and 
its  moral  sense  of  well-being,  and  it  would  seem 
probable  for  this  reason,  that  a  training  which  could  so 
influence  the  moral  side  of  human  nature  becomes  in  the 
end  a  religion  in  itself,  seeing  that  in  a  condition  of 
perfectly  balanced  physical  strength  and  well-being  the 
mind  and  soul  respond  more  fully. 

The     word     **  hieros,"     "  sacred,"     originally    meant 
"strong,"  "fresh,"  "vigorous."      Dr.  Schroeder  considers 
that   it    was    eventually   restricted    to    religion,    from    the 
1 "  The  Problem  of  Life."     Rudolf  Eucken. 

103 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

"uplifted  feeling  of  the  worshipper— the  sense  of  strength 
which  his  religion  brought  him."^ 

Surely  a  reversal,  this,  of  the  order  of  cause  and 
effect  1  More  probably  the  discovery  that  complete 
happiness  could  only  be  reached  through  complete 
physical  activity,  induced  them  to  connect  with  religion 
the  thing  they  most  valued,  and  led  them  to  adopt  the 
word  "  sacred "  in  connection  with  the  worship  of  their 
deities,  for  only  with  the  best  would  they  approach  the 
altars  of  their  gods. 

That  the  Greeks  knew  the  intimate  connection  between 
the  diaphragm  and  the  mind  can  hardly  be  doubted,  for 
their  word  "phren"  means  spirit  or  mind,  and  the  "phren" 
(or,  as  it  was  generally  used  in  the  plural — phrenes) 
actually  denoted  the  diaphragm,  "  the  muscle  that  separates 
the  heart  and  lungs  from  the  lower  organs." 

"  Within  the  phrenes,  the  Greeks  placed  not  only 
all  such  feelings  as  we  now  connect  with  the  hearts 
love,  hatred,  grief,  anger ;  but  also  the  faculties  now 
attached  to  the  brain  —  intelligence,  thinking  -  power, 
memory,  will."  ^ 

They  divided  man  into  three  parts:  (1)  "Soma," 
the  body  or  covering;  (2)  "Psyche,"  the  soul;  and 
(3)  "  Phrenes,"  the  seat  of  mental  and  spiritual  life,  this 
last  being  by  far  the  most  important  of  the  three,  and 
considered  the  "  noblest  part  of  the  man." 

Haemon  tells  his  father,  Kreon,   that  the  "  gods  have 

1  "  Makers  of  Hellas,"  p.  224. 
*  Ibid.,  p.  293. 

104 


SPIRITUAL   REACTIONS 

implanted  in  men  (human  beings  generally)  the  phrenes 
(feeling,  mind,  will,  thinking  faculty)  of  all  possessions  the 
highest  .  .  .  the  power,  namely,  of  forming  a  moral 
judgment,  of  distinguishing  right  from  wrong,  justice  from 
injustice." 

The  conception  of  spirit  was  totally  apart  from  any 
idea  of  religion  as  expressed  in  worship.  To  the  Greeks, 
it  meant  the  fine  fleur  of  moral  courage  and  energy,  and 
was  the  glory  of  their  Paganism,  as  indeed  it  may  be 
the  glory  of  every  creed,  being  independent  of  though 
common  to  all.  The  striking  examples  of  religious  fervour, 
whether  Catholic  or  Protestant,  Pagan  or  Puritan,  which 
stand  out  in  the  world's  history,  have  been  due  to  this  same 
spirit  which  inspired  the  leaders  of  religious  movements. 
It  was  not  the  particular  creed  that  made  the  man,  but  the 
spirit  of  the  man  which  was  able  to  glorify  his  creed. 

The  training,  then,  of  that  particular  muscle  which 
was  "  of  all  possessions  the  highest,"  formed  the  secret 
of  the  marvellous  unity  of  their  development.  Each  step 
they  took  in  advance  was  a  complete  one,  for  they  re- 
garded each  side  of  their  nature  as  inseparable  from  the 
other. 

"  Whereas  some  thinkers— St.  Paul,  Pascal,  Byron- 
have  seen  in  man  a  two-fold  nature  .  .  .  God  and  beast 
.  .  .  the  Greek  was  not  conscious  of  such  a  distinction; 
he  only  saw  a  unity,  '  glorious  in  its  action  and  itself,'  in 
which  humanity  was  not  distinct  from  divinity,  nor  body 
from  soul."^ 

^  "  The  Greek  Genius  and  its  Meaning  to  Us."     Livingstone. 

lOS 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

The  definite  reaction  of  the  diaphragm  upon  the 
spirit  is  proved  in  moments  of  joy  when  one  takes 
deep,  expanding  breaths  which  Hft  one  up ;  while  in 
depression  one's  head  falls  forward,  one's  "  heart  sinks,"  as 
the  saying  is,  and  there  is  a  general  feeling  of  collapse. 

Now  the  converse  of  this  is  also  true ;  that  is  to  say, 
by  the  practice  of  tense  uplifting  movements,  you  may 
induce  its  corresponding  state  of  mind.  It  is  this  which 
explains  how  the  basic  principles  of  aesthetic  law  are 
indissolubly  connected  with  dynamic  instinct,  for  in  finely- 
balanced,  tense  movement  lies  the  solution  of  the  problem 
of  this  law,  and  a  clear  answer  is  given  to  the  reason 
"why"  of  our  perception  of  beauty  in  whatever  form  it 
may  be  expressed,  either  through  music  or  painting  or 
sculpture. 

This  answer  is  the  power  of  lift,  physical  and  mental, 
and,  rightly  understood,  the  exhortation  of  the  Psalmist  in 
the  words,  **  Lift  up  your  hearts,"  comes  to  have  a  literal 
far  more  than  a  figurative  meaning. 

On  the  strength  of  the  diaphragm  depends  the  strength 
of  the  spirit,  that  unquenchable  flame  of  conscious  Will 
Power,  the  energising  fire  that  Aristotle  called  **  the  reality, 
energeia"  in  contradistinction  to  the  temporahty  of  mere 
brain  mechanism. 

There  are  many  allusions  in  the  Iliad  to  this  ener- 
gising Will  Power,  with  which  Homer  endowed  the 
Greeks  and  Trojans  alike— a  Will  Power  that  was  able 
to  restore  on  the  instant  exhausted  faculties,  physical  and 
mental. 
1 06 


SPIRITUAL   REACTIONS 

This,  I  am  convinced,  was  achieved  through  definite 
movement  of  the  diaphragm,  a  bracing  into  tension  which 
results  in  an  immediate  mental  and  spiritual  reaction.  That 
is  to  say,  this  is  the  result  when  the  whole  organisation  is 
already  in  a  perfectly  trained  condition. 

I  believe  it  is  considered  by  some  translators  that 
Chapman  allowed  himself  too  much  Hcence  in  the  trans- 
lation of  many  passages  of  the  Iliad,  but  filled  as  he  was 
with  the  Greek  spirit,  his  interpretation  of  these  passages 
seems  to  render  in  more  vivid  form  the  energising  fire  with 
which  the  Greeks  were  so  deeply  imbued. 

In  the  Fifth  Book,  Atrides  reviews  his  troops,  and 
encourages  them  with  the  words  : 

"O  friends,"  said  he,  ''hold  up  your  minds ;  strength 
is  but  strength  of  will." 

Why  did  he  say  that  ?  Had  the  Greeks  been  in  the 
habit  of  locating  the  mind  in  the  head,  he  would  not  have 
spoken  thus  to  his  men.  But  he  knew,  as  they  did,  that 
all  that  meant  spiritual  and  mental  strength  was  in  the 
diaphragm,  and  he  was  simply  teUing  them  to  brace  their 
bodies  into  tension  that  the  will  might  have  unhindered 
command  of  their  whole  natures. 

In  the  Twelfth  Book  occurs  this  passage : 

"  The  Trojans  fought  not  of  themselves,  a  fire  from  heaven  was  thrown 
That  ran  amongst  them,  through  the  wall,  mere  added  to  their  own. 
The  Greeks  held  not  their  own;  weak  Grief  went  with  her  wither'd  hand, 
And  dip't  it  deeply  in  their  spirits,  since  they  could  not  command  their  forces  to 
abide  the  field." 

Meaning    here    that    had     their    physical     control     been 
stronger,     the    will    would    have    been    able    to    operate 

107 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

effectively,    enabling  them    to    hold    their    ground  and  to 
keep  the  fire  of  their  spirit  undimmed. 

Again,  in  the  Eighteenth  Book,  the  Trojans  reach  a 
point  when  retreat  for  a  time  becomes  the  wiser  course, 
and  Polydamus  urges  them  not  to  put  too  great  a  strain 
on  the  mental  strength,  although  he  recognises  that  it  is 
capable  of  carrying  them  on  even  when  all  the  physical 
force  is  exhausted. 

.     .     .     .     "If  ye  yield,  though  wearied  with  a  fight 
So  late  and  long,  we  shall  have  strength  in  council  and  the  night. 
And  (where  we  here  have  no  more  force  than  need  will  force  us  to, 
And  which  must  rise  out  of  our  nerves)  high  ports,  tow'rs,  walls  will  do 
What  wants  in  us." 

And  so  on,  all  through  the  Iliad,  runs  the  spirit  of  a 
force  born  of  the  will  alone,  which  could  be  reUed  upon 
to  the  very  last. 

Chapman  himself  reaHsed  that  he  would  be  criticised 
for  his  interpretation  of  many  passages,  and  he  answers  his 
"  Commentors  "  in  his  "  Commentarius  "  at  the  end  of  the 
Seventeenth  Book  by  a  vindication  of  the  rendering  of 
a  certain  passage  in  these  words : 

'  It  is  something  probable  that  their  oversight  [meaning 
the  Commentors],  in  this  trifle  is  accompanied  with  a 
thousand  other  errors  in  matter  of  our  divine  Homer's 
depth  and  gravity,  which  will  not  open  itself  to  the 
curious  austerity  of  belabouring  art,  but  only  to  the  natural 
and  most  ingenuous  soul  of  our  thrice  sacred  poesy." 

In  the  examination  of  all  new  theory,  the  search- 
light of  austere  and  sincere  criticism  is  the  only  means 
io8 


SPIRITUAL   REACTIONS 

by  which  complete  analysis  of  construction  may  be 
determined. 

To  "  the  natural  and  most  ingenuous  soul "  will  be 
revealed  the  inspiring  flame  which  escapes  analysis,  eludes 
even  definition,  but  which  illumines,  with  a  clear  radiance, 
the  understanding  in  which  one  spark  exists  as  touch- 
stone. 

The  knowledge  must  be  there.  It  only  remains  to 
know  that  we  know ;  and  herein  lies  the  secret  of  all 
discovery  of  truth.  The  discovery  consists  in  telling 
others  what  they  know  already,  while  yet  unaware  of  that 
knowledge. 

Truth,  in  whatever  form  it  may  be  expressed,  is  so 
simple  that  when  revealed,  all  normal  human  beings 
recognise  it  instantly,  and  the  telling  of  it  consists  in 
arranging  the  mosaic  of  facts  in  a  pattern  which  appears 
most  clear  to  the  one  who  has  been  puzzling  over  its 
different  colours  with  a  view  to  evolving  a  clear  and 
definite  design. 

To  all  my  assertions  will  come  the  question  of  the 
sceptic:  "How  do  you  know?  What  proof  can  you 
offer?" 

To  this  the  only  answer  is  that  given  by  the 
mathematician  Euler  when  questioned  as  to  the  correctness 
of  his  famous  law  of  arches :  "  This  will  be  found  contrary 
to  all  experience,  yet  it  is  true.'^ 

A  thing  is  only  impossible  when  it  implies  a  con- 
tradiction, but  a  law  which  has  been  found  contrary  to  all 
experience  need  not  necessarily  involve  this  contradiction. 

109 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK    IDEAL 

The  theory  which  I  offer  is  in  accordance  with 
Nature's  highest  laws  of  development,  and  in  no  way 
against  them. 

It  may  be  argued,  that  complete  control  over  one's 
nature  is  impossible  under  existing  human  limitations,  but 
I  recognise  no  limitations.  All  life  is  movement,  and  the 
finest  life  must  take  its  impress  from  the  finest  movement, 
the  finest  spirit  from  the  finest  activity. 

There  are  no  real  statics  in  the  realm  of  expression; 
each  entity  has  a  story,  and  life  is  its  telling.  The  symbol 
on  paper  is  not  the  whole  of  language. 

The  knowledge  that  there  are  no  limits  to  the  heights 
is  the  incentive  for  the  soul.  The  work  of  striving  becomes 
the  joy  of  accompHshment,  and  the  goal  is  beyond  the 
stars. 

If  the  future  were  known,  existence  would  lose  its 
charm,  so  may  we  revel  in  the  Infinite,  realising  that  there 
is  nothing  perfect  save  law,  and  that  to  reach  perfection 
would  be  to  lose  it. 

To  realise  the  energising  fire  of  an  awakened  con- 
sciousness is  an  approximation  of  the  ideal. 

An  awakened  consciousness  is  a  mighty  thing  I 
Through  this,  life  appears  on  a  much  bigger  scale;  it  is 
the  science  of  Hving,  the  verb  "to  Hve,"  made  into 
something  real  and  vital  through  the  completeness  of 
every  expression  of  life. 

And  the  glory  of  it  all  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  power 
to  achieve  this  ideal  is  latent  in  each  human  being.     Each 
may  find    for    himself    the    master-key   which    will   open 
no 


SPIRITUAL   REACTIONS 

wide   the    doors  of   a  new  world,   if    willing  to    pay  the 
price ;  it  depends  only  on  this. 

In  this  new  world  may  a  man  find  his  soul,  and  enter 
into  his  full  heritage. 

Before  the  harp  can  yield  the  glory  of  its  music,  its 
strings  have  to  be  stretched  and  keyed  up  to  the  power  of 
response. 

The  power  to  respond  is  the  highest  desire  of  the 
human  being  Without  it,  man  is  lost ;  with  this  power 
developed  to  its  utmost  limits,  the  road  is  clear,  and 
nothing  can  obstruct  or  discourage. 

To  the  human  being  whose  organism  has  been  trained 
to  recognise  and  respond  to  the  highest  laws  comes  reward 
in  the  shape  of  a  power  to  discern  and  accept  the  inevitable 
without  wasting  strength  and  energy  in  useless  combat, 
at  the  same  time  realising  how  few — how  very  few — 
conditions  are  inevitable  with  a  will  strong  enough  to 
overcome  and  dominate  circumstance  rather  than  be 
moulded  by  it. 

This  is  the  culminating  point  of  achievement  in  moral 
reaction,  and  is  the  direct  outcome  of  that  conservation  of 
energy,  both  physical  and  mental,  which  gives  to  life  in 
its  whole  expression  the  clear-cut  movement  and  definition 
of  action,  the  unity  of  perfectly  balanced  forces  working 
together  with  the  minimum  of  strain,  and  thus  achieving 
the  maximum  result. 

And  this  result,  once  achieved,  is  there  forever;  there 
is  no  slipping  back,  no  growing  stiffness  of  knee  joints  to 
be  remedied,  no  slackening  muscles  to  be  worked  up,  no 

III 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

aching  spine  that  demands  longer  hours  of  couch  repose 
each  month  or  year,  no  nervous  strain  or  irritabihty  or 
uncertainty,  only  calm  confidence  in  the  power  to  envisage, 
unshaken,  every  eventuality. 

Everything  works  in  harmony,  and  the  physical  dis- 
integration, inevitable  under  the  law,  becomes  almost 
imperceptible  from  its  unity  of  change. 

Under  normal  conditions,  it  would  become  possible 
eventually  so  to  conserve  the  energies  until  the  end,  that 
no  one  particular  part  of  the  physical  organisation  would 
have  greater  demands  made  upon  it  than  another,  the 
habit  of  a  perfectly-balanced  life  resulting  in  the  gradual 
— very  gradual — lowering  of  the  flame ;  and  as  flame 
expires  while  yet  rising,  so  will  that  energising  fire,  the 
flame  of  man's  spirit,  remain  clear  and  strong  to  the  last, 
lifted  and  inspired  by  the  knowledge  that  it  is  possible  for 
human  nature  to  achieve  its  highest  end  on  earth. 

Having  reached  this  condition,  the  concept  of  time 
becomes  one,  not  of  duration  but  of  degree  of  attain- 
ment, independent  of  all  circumstance,  and  the  answer  to 
the  eternal  question  of  the  pessimist,  "^  quoi  bonf"  rings 
out  clear  and  true. 

A  clear  vision ;  the  realisation,  if  only  for  one  day,  of 
all  the  possibilities  of  Hfe  at  its  maximum  activity,  these 
are  ample  reward  for  all  its  pain,  for  all  the  wounds  that 
come  to  those  who  fight,  and  the  attainment  of  this  ideal 
must  be  a  preparation  for  all  eventualities. 

If  the  flame  dies  for  ever,  then  the  top  note  of  achieve- 
ment has  been  reached  here.     If  it  is  to  wake  again  into  a 

112 


SPIRITUAL   REACTIONS 

life  fuller  and  more  perfect  than  yet  dreamed  of  on  this 
plane,  then  no  effort  has  been  lost,  and  the  fresh  start  will 
be  made  from  a  higher  standpoint  than  would  otherwise 
have  been  attained. 

But  on  whatever  plane  the  spirit  of  man  finally  arrives, 
the  words  that  Keats  placed  in  the  mouth  of  the  Greek 
god  of  old  will  for  ever  remain  true  in  their  representation 
of  the  ideal  achievement  in  Hfe: 

"To  bear  all  naked  truths, 
And  to  envisage  circumstance,  all  calm, 
That  is  the  top  of  sovereignty." 


"3 


DETAILED    EXPLANATION 

OF   THE 
TWELVE    BASIC    EXERCISES 


"5 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

The  clear  explanation  in  writing  of  a  variety  of 
complicated  movements  is  extremely  difficult.  I  have, 
therefore,  supplemented  the  instructions  with  as  many 
photographs  as  possible,  the  most  important  positions 
being  shown  in  full-page  plates,  while  intermediate 
changes  of  position  are  shown  by  pages  of  cinemato- 
graphic detail,  which  render  the  analysis  of  every 
changing  movement  an  easy  task.  Each  exercise,  with 
two  or  three  exceptions,  has  its  own  series  of  large 
photographs,  together  with  the  cinematographic  expla- 
nation of  balance,  thus  forming  a  complete  study  in 
itself.  It  is  recommended  that  the  first  two  exercises 
should  be  taken  as  a  commencing  lesson,  and  that,  as 
the  movements  become  more  familiar,  gradually  other 
exercises  may  be  added,  one  at  a  time.  Eventually, 
when  the  whole  series  has  been  learned,  each  practice 
should  be  confined  to  four  or  five  different  exercises,  a 
different  set  being  chosen  for  the  following  practice. 
The  only  approach  to  definite  routine  that  I  strongly 
recommend  is  that  of  beginning  all  practice  with 
Exercise  /.,  however  much  the  others  may  be 
varied.  This  first  exercise  has  proved  itself  the  most 
useful  for  the  initial  suppling  of  the  muscles,  after  the 
body   has   been   drawn   up   into  the  Preliminary  Position. 

"7 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

Half-an-hour's  practice  will  be  found  enough  for  the 
first  few  lessons,  but  later  on,  when  muscles  and  joints 
begin  to  get  more  accustomed  to  the  movements,  an  hour 
will  seem  very  short.  This,  however,  should  be  the  limit 
for  any  practice,  however  perfect  the  student  may  become. 
Each  exercise  must  be  done  the  same  number  of  times  on 
each  side,  the  instructions  being  reversed  from  right  to 
left,  and  great  care  taken  to  omit  no  detail  of  this 
reversal. 


ii8 


EXERCISE   I 

FROM  the  Preliminary  Position,  raise  the  arms  in 
front  until  the  elbows  (very  sHghtly  bent)  are 
on  a  level  with  the  breast-line,  the  hands  tightly 
clenched  and  about  a  foot  apart.  Now  take  a  step  back 
with  the  right  foot,  carrying  the  body  with  it  at  exactly  the 
same  moment,  and  taking  care  to  keep  the  torso — viz.,  that 
part  of  the  body  from  shoulder  to  hip — absolutely  verti- 
cal, by  bracing  the  muscles  of  the  waist  to  their  utmost 
tension.  The  moment  the  right  foot  touches  the  ground, 
let  the  knee  bend  as  much  as  will  lower  the  body  about 
four  or  five  inches.  During  this  backward  step  the  left 
leg  remains  perfectly  still  and  tense,  straight  as  a  rod  of 
steel,  with  only  the  extreme  point  of  the  toe  touching 
the  ground,  the  heel  well  raised,  the  upper  line  of  the 
instep  curved  outwards.  In  this  position  the  whole  of 
the  weight  is  on  the  right  foot,  so  that  the  left  might 
be  raised  up  and  down  without  disturbing  the  vertical 
line  of  the  body. 

Plate  XLIX.'^  shows  the  position  as  seen  from  the 
front;  Plate  XLIX.*^  gives  it  more  clearly  in  profile, 
and  an  imaginary  vertical  line  should  pass  through 
the  ear,  shoulder,  hip,  and  ball  of  the  foot,  while  the 
knee  has  left  it  without  in  any  way  disturbing  the  rest  of 

119 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  line.'  From  this  position,  swing  the  left  leg  up  and 
across  the  line  of  the  right,  straight  and  tense,  until  it 
reaches  the  horizontal,  at  which  point  it  should  form  an 
acute  angle  with  the  right  leg,  that  is  to  say,  it  passes  in 
front  of  the  right  leg  to  the  extent  of  an  acute  angle. 
During  this  movement,  the  right  knee  remains  bent,  but 
the  right  foot  is  pushed  forward  on  to  the  ball  of  the 
toes,  which  allows  the  torso  to  remain  vertical  and  the  left 
leg  to  swing  freely.  It  will  be  found  that  if  an  attempt 
is  made  to  swing  up  the  left  leg  while  the  right  heel  is  on 
the  ground,  not  only  will  the  leg  not  be  able  to  reach  the 
horizontal,  but  the  knee  (that  is  to  say,  the  left  knee) 
will  bend,  and  the  shoulders  will  come  forward,  destroying 
any  attempt  at  poise.  This  apparently  easy  movement  of 
raising  the  right  foot  on  to  the  toes  while  the  knee  is  still 
bent,  is  one  of  the  most  difficult,  and  it  is  only  after  long 
practice  that  it  can  be  done  without  moving  the  body 
itself.  This  upward  swing  of  the  left  leg  is  accompanied 
by  the  simultaneous  downward  swing  of  both  arms  well 
to  the  left,  to  balance  the  movement  of  the  leg  to  the 
right.  The  arms  should,  at  the  finish  of  their  swing, 
form  an  obtuse  angle  to  their  first  position,  and  thus 
make  a  complete  diagonal  line  with  the  left  leg  across 
the  direction  in  which  the  body  faces.  Care  should  be 
taken  in  swinging  them  down  not  to  alter  their  relative 
position,    but  to  keep  them  always  about  a  foot  apart,  the 

^  In  the  case  of  Plate  XLIX.°  the  position  was  photographed  before  the 
full  bend  of  the  knee  was  accomplished,  which  when  completed  would  have 
brought  the  ear,  shoulder,  and  hip  slightly  more  forward  until  all  were  verti- 
cal over  the  toes. 

1 20 


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CINEMA    SERIES,    No.   5. 


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EXERCISE   I 

elbows  slightly  bent,  as  at  start,  although  the  arm  that 
passes  in  front  of  the  body  will  necessarily  have  a  more 
decided  bend  than  the  other. 

Plate  XLIX.^  shows  very  clearly  this  poise,  in  which  the 
position  of  the  right  foot  should  be  carefully  noted,  as 
this  is  the  movement  so  difficult  to  perform.  The  angles 
formed  by  the  left  leg  and  the  arms  in  relation  to  the 
direction  of  the  body  can  be  very  easily  seen  from  this 
photograph.  There  should  be  no  pause  when  the  left 
leg  reaches  the  horizontal  line,  but,  like  a  pendulum,  it 
swings  down  again  instantly,  while  simultaneously  with 
this  downward  movement  must  come  the  upward  return 
of  the  arms  to  their  first  position,  and  the  straightening 
up  of  the  right  knee  to  allow  both  feet  to  come 
together  for  the  final  poise  well  up  on  the  toes,  which 
is  the  same,  of  course,  as  that  shown  in  Plate  XII. ° 
During  the  lowering  and  raising  of  the  body,  with  its 
counteracting  movements  to  right  and  left,  the  torso 
should  remain  tense  and  vertical,  particular  care  being 
taken  not  to  twist  the  waist  while  swinging  down  the 
arms,  but  to  carry  them  only  just  so  far  as  will  balance 
the  movement  of  the  left  leg.  Intermediate  positions 
are  clearly  shown  in  Cinema  Series  No.  5. 

From  the  final  poise  on  the  toes,  the  exercise  should 
be  recommenced,  and  only  on  the  initial  step  backwards 
of  each  repetition  should  the  right  heel  touch  the  ground, 
after  which  all  other  movements  must  be  performed  poised 
on  the  ball  of  the  foot. 

These  instructions  constitute  a  counsel  of  perfection, 

121 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

and  it  must  not  be  expected  that  this  nicety  of  balance 
can  be  acquired  in  a  week  or  a  month.  Many  things  go 
to  make  up  such  a  condition  of  equiHbrium,  which  can 
only  be  acquired  gradually,  as  the  mind  becomes  better 
able  to  control  the  physical  movement. 

For  practice  on  the  left  side,  these  movements  should 
be  reversed.  The  exercise  should  be  repeated  five  or  six 
times  on  each  side,  going  back  in  a  straight  line  and  the 
poise  on  the  toes  being  carefully  maintained  for  several 
seconds  after  each  repetition,  though  this  again  will  be 
impossible  for  a  beginner,  who  will  be  forced  to  place 
the  heels  on  the  ground  at  first  to  avoid  falling  over 
altogether. 


122 


EXERCISE    II 

FROM  the  Preliminary  Position,  raise  the  right  hand  to 
the  shoulder,  with  clenched  fist,  twisted  as  far  as 
possible  to  the  left,  the  elbow  bent  and  kept  as 
closely  to  the  waist  as  will  allow  the  forearm  to  remain  verti- 
cal. Simultaneously  with  this  movement,  the  left  forearm 
is  brought  across  the  waist  in  a  horizontal  Hne,  the  hand 
also  clenched. 

As  the  arms  are  being  brought  into  position,  take  a 
short  step  back  with  the  left  foot,  carrying  the  body  with 
it,  so  that  the  whole  weight  is  over  the  left,  while  the 
right  foot  remains  barely  touching  the  ground  with  the 
extreme  point  of  the  toe,  the  heel  well  raised  and  the 
upper  line  of  the  instep  curved  outward.  Plate  L.*^  gives 
this  position.  During  the  whole  of  this  exercise,  the 
knees  remain  absolutely  straight  and  tense.  Care  should 
be  taken  to  avoid  the  least  movement  of  the  waist  while 
stepping  back,  for,  unless  perfectly  tense,  it  has  a  tendency 
to  twist  and  relax,  altering  the  level  of  the  two  hips,  which 
at  once  destroys  the  balance.  The  two  definite  move- 
ments which  prevent  this  alteration  in  the  hips  are  the 
conscious  drawing  up  of  the  waist  muscles,  and  the  raising 
of  the  right  heel  to  lengthen  the  line  of  the  right  leg, 
so  as  to  allow  the  body  to  go  back  far  enough  to  form 
a  vertical  line  over  the  left  foot.'    From  this  position,  the 

'  To  test  the  difference  in  length  made  by  raising  the  heel,  place  it  on 
the  ground  again,  and  note  the  pull  forward. 

123 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK    IDEAL 

body  must  be  spun  round  on  the  ball  of  the  left  foot  in  a 
right  angle  turn  to  the  left,  the  right  leg  swinging  back 
and  up  at  the  same  moment.  This  is  a  much  more 
complicated  movement  than  at  first  appears,  for,  as  soon 
as  the  backward  swing  brings  the  leg  to  a  lock  against  the 
right  hip,  the  movement  is  carried  on  by  bending  forward 
on  the  left  hip,  while  the  right  leg  and  spine  form  one 
continuous  line,  which  should  work  in  unbroken  connec- 
tion, the  leg  rising  while  the  spine  is  being  lowered,  until 
the  two  form  a  horizontal  line,  when,  if  possible,  the  poise 
should  be  maintained  on  the  ball  of  the  left  foot  for  a  few 
seconds.  The  spin  round  into  this  position  is  aided  by  a 
rapid  pull  round  of  the  left  arm,  made  by  drawing  the  fist 
in  a  semi-circle  from  its  first  position  at  the  waist  to  a 
point  on  a  level  with  the  left  shoulder,  the  elbow  bent 
to  its  utmost  limit,  so  that  both  arms  are  now  in  the 
same  position,  the  right  arm  having  remained  unaltered. 
The  hands  should  be  pulled  well  back  in  a  conscious 
effort  to  expand  the  chest ;  the  head  thrown  back  so 
that  even  when  the  full  bend  of  the  body  has  been 
reached,  in  a  horizontal  line,  the  face  and  head  remain 
vertical  as  though  standing.  This  is  a  most  important 
detail,  as  any  alteration  in  the  position  of  the  head  at 
once  upsets  the  poise,  which  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  to 
maintain.  Plate  L.^  illustrates  this  poise,  which  is  extremely 
interesting  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  different  angles 
formed  by  the  varying  weights  of  torso  and  leg,  and  the 
precision  needed  in  their  combined  movement  to  enable 
the  centre  of  gravity  to  remain  over  its  base. 
124 


w 
< 

Oh 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.   6. 


Copyright.] 


Exercise  II.  in  Detail. 


EXERCISE   II 

If  an  imaginary  horizontal  line  is  drawn  on  the  photo- 
graph, the  forehead  and  toe  will  be  found  to  be  the 
extreme  points,  while  the  vertical  line,  starting  upwards 
from  a  little  behind  the  ball  of  the  left  foot,  will  pass 
through  the  knee  and  the  left  hip.  The  angles  formed  by 
the  two  lines,  first  from  the  head  to  the  left  foot,  where  it 


(toe)  D 


(K«i) 


A  (foot; 


touches  the  ground,  and  again  from  the  right  foot  to  the 
left,  together  with  the  connecting  horizontal  of  the  line 
from  the  right  toe  to  the  head,  constitute  an  example  of 
the  triangle  of  forces  resulting  from  the  difference  in 
weight  of  the  torso  and  leg.  I  have  given  a  diagram  illus- 
trating, with  exact  measurements  taken  from  Plate  L.^, 
the   triangles    formed    by    this    poise.      By   lowering    the 

125 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK  IDEAL 

horizontal  line  until  G  and  D  are  level  with  B,  that  is  to 
say,  by  straightening  out  the  extended  leg  and  torso,  the 
angles  DBA  and  C  B  A  become  right-angle  triangles  of 
different  size.  It  will  be  seen  at  once  that  there  must  be 
considerably  more  weight  in  the  angle  C  B  A  to  enable  it 
to  poise  on  the  same  base  as  the  larger  angle  DBA. 
This  is  why  it  is  so  important  not  to  add  to  the  length  of 
the  body-line  by  lowering  the  head,  as  it  then  becomes 
impossible  for  the  leg  to  counterbalance  the  extra  weight, 
having  already  reached  its  utmost  length,  and  Hke  a  see- 
saw badly  balanced,  one  end  goes  up  while  the  other 
comes  to  the  ground.  This  is  certainly  the  most  fasci- 
nating poise  to  attempt,  albeit  the  most  difficult  to  achieve ; 
and  it  may  be  wondered  why  it  should  have  been  selected 
as  the  second  exercise.  The  reason  is  that,  although  the 
movement  itself  is  one  of  the  most  difficult,  the  exercise 
may  be  classified  among  those  which  do  not  involve  such 
complicated  mental  direction  as  most  of  the  others.  As 
this  mental  control  constitutes  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
connection  with  these  exercises,  they  have  been  arranged 
with  a  view  to  facilitate  a  gradual  increase  in  the  power  of 
concentration  needed,  that  special  concentration  of  which 
I  spoke  in  Chapter  VII.,  which  enables  the  mind  to 
pass  rapidly  from  one  point  to  another  with  unhesitating 
certainty,  and  always  just  ahead  of  the  physical  movement. 
The  recovery  from  this  poise  is  made  by  a  reversal  of 
the  movement  of  the  horizontal  line,  the  start  being  given 
by  the  tense  muscles  of  the  waist,  which  are  able  to  raise 
the  body  and  lower  the  right  leg  simultaneously  without 
126 


EXERCISE    II 

in  any  way  disturbing  the  rigidity  of  the  line.  The 
whole  body,  therefore,  returns  to  its  vertical  position  the 
moment  the  right  foot  comes  to  the  ground,  and  the  final 
poise  should  be  maintained  well  up  on  the  toes  with  the 
feet  pressed  close  together.  Plate  L."^  shows  the  final 
position  of  recovery,  and  Cinema  Series  No.  6,  giving 
the  details  of  this  exercise,  is  one  of  the  best  of  all  the 
Series,  the  apex  poise,  viz.,  No.  9  (the  first  poise  of  the 
third  row  reading  from  left  to  right),  being  so  fine  that 
it  was  worth  an  enlargement  for  the  better  definition  of 
detail.  I  am  afraid  a  little  spirit  of  bravado  induced  me 
to  show  this  poise  on  a  pedestal  I  For,  already  an 
extremely  difficult  balance  on  solid  ground,  it  is  quite 
an  achievement  on  a  raised  and  none  too  certain  base. 

It  will  be  some  time  before  the  pupil  will  be  able  to 
achieve  this  recovery  from  the  horizontal  poise.  Time 
after  time  the  exercise  will  be  cut  in  half  by  the  uncon- 
trollable pitch  forward  of  the  body.  But  patience,  and 
a  right  leg  as  tense  as  a  steel  rod  to  the  tip  of  the  toes, 
will  eventually  be  rewarded  with  a  momentary  poise  which 
brings  a  quite  unusual  exhilaration  of  its  own,  and  is  the 
best  possible  incentive  to  renewed  effort. 

Later  still,  when  an  occasional  recovery  has  been 
achieved,  the  repetition  of  the  exercise  should  be  begun 
where  the  first  finished,  viz.,  at  a  right  angle  to  the 
starting-point. 

Four  of  these  repetitions  will  therefore  bring  the  feet 
to  the  exact  spot  at  which  the  start  was  made,  thus  com- 
pleting a  geometrical  series.     It  should,  however,  be  some 

127 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

time  before  these  completed  series  are  attempted,  as  the 
details  of  one  exercise  must  be  thoroughly  mastered 
before  complicating  the  mental  movement  by  further 
combinations. 


128 


EXERCISE    III 

STARTING  from  the  Preliminary  Position,  take  a 
lunge  forward  with  the  left  foot,  carrying  the  whole 
weight  of  the  body  forward  at  the  same  moment 
as  the  advancing  foot,  bending  the  knee  as  the  foot  touches 
the  ground,  sufficiently  to  force  up  the  heel  about  an  inch, 
leaving  the  weight  poised  on  the  ball  of  the  foot.  The  right 
leg  should  remain  tense  and  unbending  during  the  whole 
of  the  exercise  on  this  side,  and  as  the  body  is  carried 
forward  on  the  lunge,  it  leaves  the  right  foot  relieved 
of  all  weight,  so  that  only  the  extreme  tip  of  the  big  toe 
touches  the  ground,  while  the  foot  itself  should  be 
turned  well  outwards  and  form  a  right  angle  with  the 
line  of  the  left  foot.  Simultaneously  with  the  lunge,  raise 
the  left  arm  in  a  parrying  movement,  so  that  the 
forearm  passes  in  front  of  the  forehead  about  four  inches 
distant,  horizontal  from  the  elbow,  and  tense  to  the  tip 
of  the  outstretched  fingers ;  the  palm  of  the  hand  facing 
outwards.  Plate  LI.'^  shows  this  position,  and  an 
imaginary  line  should  pass  through  the  left  ear,  shoulder, 
hip,  and  ball  of  foot,  while  the  knee  will  be  well  in  front 
of  this  line.  The  photograph  of  this  position  is  a  little 
off  the  profile,  which  gives  the  impression  that  the  line 
would   end    in    front   of   the    foot   instead  of  at  the  ball, 

129 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE    GREEK   IDEAL 

but  this  is  not  really  the  case.  The  exact  height  of  the 
left  heel  from  the  ground  is  controlled  by  the  bend  of  the 
knee,  and  when  it  becomes  impossible  to  get  nearer  than 
one  inch  to  the  ground  with  the  heel,  the  knee  bend  will 
have  reached  its  limit. 

From  this  lunge  the  second  position  is  reached  by 
straightening  the  left  knee,  and  thus  raising  the  body 
four  or  five  inches ;  which  movement  necessitates  the 
lowering  of  the  left  heel  to  the  ground  for  an  instant, 
although  no  weight  should  be  placed  on  it.  Simul- 
taneously with  the  straightening  of  the  left  leg,  the 
right  rises  from  the  ground  still  stretched  out  behind 
at  the  same  angle,  and  finally  raised  four  or  five  inches 
from  the  ground.  There  must  be  no  pause,  however, 
on  this  second  position,  and  the  moment  the  left  leg 
is  quite  straight,  the  right  leg  should  be  swung  round 
in  a  wide  semicircle  in  which  the  hip  constitutes  the 
rotary  axis.  This  movement  carries  the  body  round  with 
it  in  a  right-angle  turn  to  the  left,  which  must  be  made 
on  the  ball  of  the  left  foot.  The  curve  is  stopped 
as  soon  as  the  right-angle  is  reached,  by  bringing  the 
extreme  point  of  the  right  toe  to  the  ground,  a  littk 
in  front,  and  to  the  left  of  the  left  foot,  so  that  the  knees 
are  crossed,  the  under  part  of  the  right  knee  touching 
the  knee-cap  of  the  left.  The  two  feet  should  be  turned 
in  opposite  directions,  the  left,  on  which  the  turn  has 
been  made,  pointing  slightly  to  the  right,  and  the  right 
turned  across  to  the  left,  each  in  acute  angle  to  the 
direction  in  which  the  body  faces.  Plate  LI.^  shows 
130 


< 


■O. 


U 


EXERCISE   III 

this  position  so  accurately  that  it  will  be  at  once  under- 
stood. Again,  the  test  of  the  vertical  Hne  will  prove 
the  balance  correct,  and  will  be  found  to  pass  from 
the  nose,  down  through  the  centre  of  the  body,  directly 
to  the  ball  of  the  left  foot.  This  extremely  difficult 
movement  is  only  possible  by  keeping  the  body  in  a 
tense  vertical  Hne  over  the  left  foot  the  whole  time. 
The  left  leg  represents  the  pivot  arm  of  a  compass, 
while  the  right  leg  swings  round  tense  as  to  muscle, 
but  quite  loose  at  the  hip-joint,  in  the  same  way  as 
the  moving  arm  of  a  compass.  Great  care  must  be 
taken  to  put  no  force  into  the  movement,  which  would 
at  once  disturb  the  vertical  pivoting  line  and  upset  the 
balance.  It  will  be  found  that  the  weight  of  the  right 
leg  is  sufficient  to  carry  on  the  momentum  when  once 
started  on  the  curve.  Above  all,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  this  right  leg  must  be  like  a  rod  of  steel  with  Tension, 
so  that  no  disconnection  occurs  when  it  meets  with 
resistance  at  the  hip-joint.  This  happens  when  half-way 
through  the  curve,  and  it  is  this  resistance  which  is 
needed  to  bring  the  vertical  line  of  the  body  and  left 
leg  into  the  movement,  into  which  they  will  be  swept 
without  the  least  break  or  check,  provided  the  Tension  is 
unbroken  and  the  weight  poised  well  up  on  the  ball 
of  the  left  foot,  which,  as  pivot,  must  cover  the  least 
possible  surface.  The  great  difficulty  will  be  to  keep 
from  bending  at  the  waist,  and  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  invite  this  by  leaning  forward  with  the  head  to 
see   what   the    feet   are    doing;    for   what   the   neck   does 

131 


THE   RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  waist  copies  unconsciously.  Any  lean  forward  of 
the  head  means  collapse  of  the  poise,  which  should  be 
so  exact  that  the  right  leg  may,  by  way  of  test,  be 
lifted  well  up  from  the  ground  without  disturbing  the 
vertical  line  of  the  body,  poised  as  it  should  be  full 
on  the  left  toes,  to  which  the  instep  should  be  almost 
perpendicular. 

I  have  purposely  left  the  arm  movement  to  the  last,  so 
as  to  avoid  undue  complication,  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  it  is  performed  simultaneously  with  the  leg 
curve.  As  soon  as  this  begins,  the  left  arm  should  be 
brought  down  from  the  position  of  parry  in  a  semi-circular 
movement,  to  a  point  level  with  the  left  side  of  the 
waist,  and  about  two  inches  distant,  the  fist  clenched,  the 
elbow  well  bent,  pointing  outwards  and  slightly  backwards 
from  the  side.  The  right  arm  must  be  brought  up  by 
bending  the  elbow,  until  the  hand,  with  open  palm 
turned  outwards,  is  on  a  level  with  the  right  shoulder, 
and  distant  about  five  or  six  inches.  This  finishes  every 
detail  of  Plate  LI.''  It  should  be  possible  to  remain 
erect  and  still  in  this  position,  poised  on  the  left  toes, 
with  no  weight  on  the  right  foot,  which,  as  I  said  before, 
may  be  lifted  a  few  inches  from  the  ground  merely  as 
a  test  of  the  perfect  balance  on  the  left.  From  this 
position  the  right  leg  is  swung  backwards  in  a  wide 
semicircle,  tense  and  unbending  as  always,  while  yet 
loose  and  free  at  the  hip-joint.  This  movement  is 
accompanied  by  the  simultaneous  bend  of  the  left  knee, 
so  that  the  body  is  again  lowered  four  or  five  inches,  and 
132 


EXERCISE   III 

is  once  more  in  the  lunge  position,  the  right  foot  almost 
in  line  with  the  left,  and  turned  out  as  before  at  right 
angles  to  the  left.  The  hands  should  be  swung  down  to 
the  left  simultaneously  with  the  leg  movement,  the  elbows 
slightly  bent,  the  fingers  outstretched  and  tense.  In 
Plate  LI.*^  all  the  details  of  this  position  are  clearly 
shown.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  arm-swing  does 
not  alter  the  position  of  the  hips  although  the  waist 
itself  makes  a  slight  turn  to  the  left.  The  final  recovery, 
which  is  made  by  springing  backwards  and  upwards,  from 
the  left  toes,  finally  bringing  them  close  to  the  right, 
is  shown  on  Plate  LI."^  This  spring  back  is  performed 
entirely  by  the  ball  of  the  left  foot,  carried  on  by  that 
of  the  right,  which  receives  the  weight,  these  movements 
being  aided  by  the  Tension  in  the  right  leg,  which  three 
factors  combined  draw  the  body  up  once  more  into  a 
vertical  line,  both  knees  straight,  the  right  arm  having 
swung  round  in  a  semicircle  to  the  right  side  during  the 
spring,  the  whole  weight  finally  poised  as  high  up  on 
the  toes  as  possible,  the  feet  pressed  close  together.  This 
finish  leaves  the  body  at  a  right  angle  to  the  start ;  and, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  other  exercises,  the  next  one  should 
be  commenced  from  the  finishing  angle,  so  that  the 
series  of  four  may  be  completed  by  a  return  to  the 
starting-point.  But,  again,  this  should  only  be  attempted 
when  the  single  exercise  has  become  familiar,  as  the  effort 
to  complete  a  series  invariably  destroys  the  perfection 
of  detail  until  it  has  become  definitely  mastered.  This  is 
due    to    the    alteration    of   angle,    which    is    unexpectedly 

133 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

disconcerting  at  first.  It  is  wiser,  therefore,  to  practise 
for  some  time  the  two  different  sides  only,  recommencing 
at  the  same  starting  point.  Eventually,  two  series  of 
four  exercises  on  the  right  and  the  same  on  the  left 
are,  as  a  rule,  enough  of  this  particular  exercise. 

Cinema  Series  No.  7  will  render  clear  whatever  has 
been  difficult  to  explain  in  this  exercise.  Several  faults  are 
apparent :  notably  in  the  fifth  of  the  first  row,  where  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  right  knee  is  bending  as  the  leg 
begins  to  swing  round.  There  was  some  excuse  for  this 
in  the  torture  of  spinning  round  with  bare  feet  on  a 
piece  of  linoleum  which  had  become  scorchingly  hot  in 
the  blaze  of  a  July  sun;  a  rather  severe  test  on  one's 
powers  of  concentration.  There  is,  however,  a  very  fine 
climax  of  poise  in  the  second  of  the  third  row,  and,  if 
looked  at  with  a  magnifying  glass,  the  extreme  tension  of 
the  leg  muscles  and  especially  those  of  the  foot  will  be 
clearly  seen. 


134 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.   7. 


Copynght.] 


Exercise  III.  in  Detail 


EXERCISE   IV 

STARTING  from  the  Preliminary  Position,  take  a  very 
short  step  backwards  with  the  right  foot,  carrying 
the  body  well  back  so  that  all  the  weight  is  over 
the  right  heel,  leaving  the  left  foot  with  only  the  extreme 
tip  of  the  toe  touching  the  ground,  the  heel  well  raised, 
and  the  upper  line  of  the  instep  curved  outwards.  (See 
Plate  LII/)  The  arms  remain  throughout  this  exercise 
the  same  as  in  the  Preliminary  Position,  viz.,  drawn  down 
to  their  full  length  at  the  sides,  and  tense  to  the  finger- 
tips. The  body  also  and  poise  of  the  head  should  remain 
absolutely  unchanged,  the  whole  movement  being  confined 
to  the  left  leg,  which  is  to  perform  a  wide  three-quarter 
circle  on  the  principle  of  the  moving  arm  of  a  compass; 
the  pivot  arm  being  represented  by  the  immovable  line  of 
the  body  and  right  leg,  revolving  on  the  heel,  and  actuated 
by  the  motor  incentive  of  the  left  leg  alone,  without  any 
independent  movement.  Having  taken  the  step  back, 
brace  both  knees  to  their  utmost  Tension,  remembering 
that  the  whole  body  must  remain  in  a  tense  vertical  line 
over  the  right  heel,  which  will  form  the  pivot.  The  start 
for  the  pivoting  movement  is  given  by  the  left  leg,  which 
should  swing  straight  from  the  hip  in  a  wide,  gradually- 
rising,   backward  semicircle,  straight  and  tense,  with  the 

135 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

toe  still  pointing  towards  the  ground.  Plate  LII.°  shows 
the  starting  movement  of  the  left  leg,  and  is  a  very 
good  photograph  of  this  position.  There  should  be  no 
sense  of  effort  in  effecting  this  turn.  None  whatever  is 
needed ;  the  turn  of  the  body  being  effected  by  the 
resistance  of  the  leg  against  the  hip  at  a  certain  point, 
which  resistance  is  amply  sufficient  to  bring  the  body 
itself  into  the  sweep  of  the  curve,  provided  always  (and 
this  is  the  whole  difficulty)  that  it  is  able  to  maintain  the 
unbroken  vertical  Hne  through  Tension,  so  that  a  pull  at 
any  point  of  this  vertical  Hne  will  act  on  the  whole  line 
at  its  pivot  only,  viz.,  the  heel.  The  resistance  at  the  hip 
occurs  when  the  left  leg  has  reached  a  right  angle  to  its 
start,  and  at  this  moment  the  left  toes  should  be  slightly 
raised  so  that  the  heel  may  revolve  quite  freely.  The 
pivot  foot  makes  a  revolution  of  a  half-circle ;  the  body 
the  same,  so  that  when  the  curve  ceases  the  student  should 
be  facing  exactly  the  opposite  direction  to  the  start.  To 
arrive  at  this,  the  left  leg  must  make  three-quarters  of  a 
circle,  at  which  point  the  left  foot  comes  to  the  ground, 
on  the  ball  of  the  toes,  while  the  left  knee  bends  instantly 
to  allow  the  weight  of  the  body  to  be  transferred  to  the 
left  side  in  a  vertical  Hne  over  the  ball  of  the  left  foot, 
resulting  in  a  side-lunge  as  the  final  position.  At  the  same 
moment  that  the  left  foot  touches  the  ground  the  right 
will  have  finished  the  pivoting  movement  on  the  heel,  and 
without  a  pause  this  heel  should  be  raised  so  as  to  leave 
only  the  extreme  point  of  the  toe  touching  the  ground ; 
the  right  leg  remaining  throughout  Hke  a  rod  of  steel, 
136 


F 


< 


EXERCISE   IV 

straight  and  tense ;  the  body,  arms,  and  head  in  exactly  the 
same  relative  position  as  at  the  start. 

Plate  LII.*^  is  a  fine  photograph  of  this  position; 
it  should  be  noted  carefully  how  the  left  heel  is  raised 
from  the  ground,  and  how  a  line  drawn  from  the  middle 
of  the  back  ends  in  the  ball  of  the  left  foot ;  the  Tension 
of  the  back  muscles  may  also  be  seen  clearly  through  the 
jersey.  In  this  exercise,  the  whole  difficulty  will  be  found 
in  the  effort  to  keep  the  waist  muscles  tense.  At  the 
start  they  will  bend  backwards,  so  that  the  sensation  of 
falling  back  will  naturally  upset  the  balance.  If  by  chance 
the  student  gets  round  somehow,  he  will  find,  on  landing 
with  the  left  foot  on  the  ground,  that  these  same  muscles 
give  way  forwards,  and  that  he  is  unable  to  prevent  a  pitch 
forward.  This  difficulty  constitutes  the  main  interest  of 
this  apparently  simple  exercise;  there  seems  at  first  sight 
less  movement  than  in  any  of  the  others,  only  one  leg  to 
swing  round — and  it  can't  be  done !  In  reality,  the 
difficulty  is  purely  mental,  and  lies  in  the  impossibility  to 
the  beginner  of  localising  movement,  of  keeping  practically 
the  whole  body  immobile,  and  concentrating  all  action  on 
one  particular  joint.  For  this  reason,  this  exercise  demands 
a  more  intense  concentration  and  a  far  higher  vibratory 
Tension — that  is  to  say,  a  more  absolutely  unbroken 
connection — than  any  other ;  and  this  maximum  velocity 
of  vibration  is  only  arrived  at  through  exceptional  power 
in  the  diaphragm,  enabling  it  to  radiate  at  maximum  speed. 

Confining  myself  solely  to  the  physical  means  by 
which  this  condition  may  be  acquired,  the  effort  to  keep 

137 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  waist  fully  stretched  will  lighten  the  difficulties  to 
some  extent,  and  as  there  is  very  little  physical  fatigue 
connected  with  this  exercise,  it  may  be  repeated  until  the 
student  gets  either  tired  or  angry,  when  it  will  be  wiser  to 
leave  it  for  another  practice  and  come  to  it  again  fresh. 

The  recovery  from  the  side  lunge  is  made  by  a  spring 
from  the  ball  of  the  left  foot,  upwards  and  sideways,  until 
the  body  comes  once  more  into  an  erect  vertical  line,  with 
both  feet  pressed  close  together,  well  up  on  the  toes.  The 
exercise  should  be  repeated  six  or  eight  times  on  each  side, 
the  start  being  made  each  time  from  the  finishing  position ; 
but  this  repetition  should  not  be  attempted  until  some  sort 
of  mastery  has  been  gained  over  this  very  fascinating  but 
inexplicably  difficult  exercise. 

The  maximum  height  reached  by  the  rising  curve  of 
the  swinging  leg  should  be  about  twelve  inches.  A  great 
effort  will  be  needed  to  avoid  bending  the  knee  of  the 
pivot  leg,  which  must  be  like  a  steel  rod  the  whole  time. 
Cinema  Series  No.  8  gives  the  details  of  this  exercise;  it 
is  an  exceptionally  good  one,  and  in  the  first  three  rows 
there  will  not  be  discovered  the  sHghtest  wavering  from  the 
vertical  Hne.  I  myself  was  astonished  when  I  saw  the 
photographs,  for,  on  careful  examination,  there  will  be  seen 
on  the  background  a  faint  line,  which  comes  by  chance 
immediately  above  my  head,  and  this  will  be  found  in 
exactly  the  same  place  until  the  last  row,  when  the  side 
lunge  naturally  carries  the  whole  body  over  to  the  left. 


138 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.   8, 


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Exercise  I\'.  in  Detail. 


EXERCISE   V 

FROM  the  Preliminary  Position,  take  a  step  forward 
on  to  the  toes  of  the  left  foot,  bringing  up  the  right, 
also  on  the  toes,  very  swiftly  close  to  the  left,  press- 
ing the  two  feet  together,  with  raised  heels  touching.  Both 
these  steps  should  be  taken  with  absolutely  straight 
knees.  Simultaneously  with  this  step  forward,  bring  the 
hands  together  in  front  as  low  down  as  possible,  the  left 
hand  nearer  the  body,  though  not  touching  it,  the  palm 
of  the  right  hand  lying  along  the  back  of  the  left;  both 
hands  fully  stretched  to  the  finger-tips,  and  forming  almost 
a  right  angle  with  the  arms.  The  thumbs  should  be  held 
erect  and  tense  at  right  angles  to  the  rest  of  the  hand,  a 
detail  which  must  be  carefully  noted,  in  view  of  the 
clasping  of  the  hands  which  follows.  (See  Plate  LIII.'^) 
Now  comes  a  swift  drop  of  the  body,  some  five  or  six 
inches  by  bending  the  right  knee  and  letting  the  left  foot 
drop  well  to  one  side  of,  and  a  Httle  behind  the  right  foot, 
the  left  knee  also  bent,  but  without  altering  the  position  of 
the  thigh.  These  movements  should  leave  the  weight 
poised  entirely  on  the  ball  of  the  right  foot ;  the  spine 
remaining  vertical  as  at  the  start;  the  left  leg  held 
absolutely  loose  with  no  weight  upon  it.  The  sudden 
drop  of   the   body  is  accompanied  by  as  sudden  an  up- 

139 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

lifting  of  both  arms  with  hands  now  clasped  (the  right 
over  the  left)  and  about  five  or  six  inches  above  the  head. 
The  details  of  this  position  are  more  readily  grasped 
by  photograph  than  by  any  amount  of  description,  and 
Plate  LIII.^  shows  them  quite  clearly.  From  this  posi- 
tion the  whole  body  must  be  turned  completely  round  in  a 
half-circle,  so  as  to  face  the  opposite  direction,  but  without 
disturbing  the  relative  positions  in  any  way,  and  the  spin 
round  is  executed  in  the  following  way : 

With  the  right  knee  still  bent,  the  body  still  vertical, 
the  weight  still  on  the  ball  of  the  right  foot,  bring  the 
hands  down,  tightly  clasped,  in  a  rapid  semicircular 
sweep  to  the  right,  taking  the  waist-line  as  the 
limit  of  the  curve,  keeping  the  hands  close  to  the  body 
and  bringing  them  again  to  the  same  height  above  the 
head.  If  the  whole  of  the  body  is  kept  tense  and 
immobile  when  this  swing  is  commenced,  it  will  be  found 
that  as  soon  as  the  arms  meet  with  resistance  at  the 
shoulders  in  their  swing  to  the  right,  this  resistance  will 
be  enough  to  start  the  whole  body  pivoting  round  with 
the  greatest  ease,  as  one  immovable  mass,  on  the  ball  of 
the  right  foot ;  and  the  spin  round  into  the  opposite 
direction  will  have  taken  place  apparently  by  itself. 
This  is  practically  what  will  happen,  provided  the 
unbroken  tension  has  been  maintained,  which  keeps  the 
perfect  vertical  line  of  the  whole  weight  over  its  pivot. 
What  actually  happens  with  the  novice  at  first,  unfortu- 
nately, is  a  complete  inability  to  get  round  at  all.  The 
foot  seems  glued  to  the  ground,  while  the  waist  endeavours 
140 


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EXERCISE    V 

to  twist  independently,  in  the  hope  of  dragging  the  body 
after  it,  a  movement  which  results  in  the  complete  upset 
of  the  balance  and  a  fall  forward. 

The  movement  is  most  beautiful  when  correctly  per- 
formed :  a  vertical  line,  turned  completely  round  on  its 
pivot,  by  the  action  of  a  vertical  curve  working  on  a 
horizontal  bar,  whose  point  of  connection  is  at  the  top 
of  the  Hne,  the  bar  being  represented  by  the  horizontal 
line  of  the  shoulders.  The  arms,  working  from  beautifully 
loose  ball-and-socket  shoulder-joints,  are  able  to  describe 
a  great  part  of  their  curve  before  encountering  the 
resistance  which  sets  in  motion  the  horizontal  bar  of 
the  shoulders,  and  eventually  draws  into  the  movement 
the  whole  vertical  axis  of  the  body,  rigid  in  its  con- 
nection with  the  horizontal  bar.  The  great  difficulty 
in  this  pivoting  movement,  apart  from  that  of  keeping 
the  waist  tense,  is  to  prevent  the  left  leg  from  taking 
any  active  part  in  it,  as  also  to  eliminate  all  needless 
strength  in  the  arm  movement.  The  left  foot  should  only 
just  be  lifted  off  the  ground  while  the  turn  is  being 
made ;  a  slight  movement  of  the  ankle  is  sufficient,  the 
position  of  the  leg  itself  should  remain  unchanged.  But 
we  will  now  suppose  the  turn  has  been  made,  position 
No.  3  being  merely  No.  2  facing  in  the  opposite  direction. 
This  position  is  followed  by  a  lunge  backwards  with  the 
left  foot,  a  movement  that  demands  a  gradual  sinking 
back  without  looking  round,  or  indeed  making  any  other 
movement,  except  that  of  lifting  the  left  foot  just  clear  of 
the  ground.     This  sinking  back  involves,  of  course,  the 

141 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

gradual  straightening  of  the  right  knee.  Just  before  this 
is  completed,  the  arms  are  brought  swiftly  down  in  a 
full-length  swinging  curve,  past  the  left  side,  and  up 
again,  with  full  momentum,  above  the  head,  at  the  same 
moment  that  the  ball  of  the  left  foot  comes  to  the  ground 
at  an  obtuse  angle  to  the  line  of  the  backward  lunge, 
while  the  left  knee  bends,  lowering  the  body  some  five  or 
six  inches  as  the  foot  touches  the  ground.  Great  care 
will  be  required  to  get  this  position  correctly,  and  the 
body,  as  well  as  the  left  foot,  should  now  be  at  an  obtuse 
angle  to  the  original  starting  position  of  the  backward 
lunge.  Plate  LIII.^  shows  the  position  of  the  com- 
pleted lunge,  and  though  in  itself  the  photograph  is 
excellent,  I  am  sorry  to  say  it  does  not  represent  the 
correct  angle  that  should  have  followed  that  view  of 
the  position  given  in  Plate  LIII.^  For  this  reason : 
In  doing  the  whole  exercise  before  the  camera,  I  found 
that  in  taking  the  lunge  back  from  the  full-face  position 
of  Plate  LIII.^,  the  foreshortening  made  it  impossible 
to  analyse  the  position  of  the  feet  and  knees.  I  therefore 
had  this  one  position  taken  in  profile,  and  to  understand 
how  I  arrived  at  the  lunge  as  shown  on  Plate  LIII.^, 
it  must  be  remembered  that  before  taking  it  I  was 
standing  where,  in  the  lunge,  the  right  foot  is  touching 
the  ground,  and  facing  to  the  left,  so  that  my  left  side 
would  appear  to  the  spectator.  Fortunately,  there  is 
an  exceptionally  fine  Cinema  Series  No.  9,  which  will  at 
once  clear  away  any  confusion  that  may  have  been  caused, 
and  it  is  only  necessary  to  study  this  carefully  to  under- 
142 


CINExMA    SERIES,    No.   9. 


Copyyiqht.~\ 


Exercise  V.  in  Dutail. 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    9   (co)itinue(l). 


4 


Jd± 


a 


Copyright  ] 


Exercise  y.  in  Detail 


EXERCISE   V 

stand  quite  clearly  the  sequence  of  angles.  It  is  most 
important  that  the  line  of  the  backward  lunge  should  be 
directly  behind  the  right  foot,  which,  on  completion  of 
the  lunge,  should  be  stretched  to  the  utmost,  and  touching 
only  with  the  side  of  the  big  toe,  all  the  weight  having 
been  carried  back  simultaneously  with  the  receding  left 
foot.  As  this  most  difficult  movement  becomes  at  all 
possible,  it  will  be  found  that  any  attempt  to  look  round 
on  the  backward  lunge  will  immediately  upset  the  balance. 
Only  by  forcing  the  will  to  allow  the  fall  back  without 
fear  will  the  fourth  position  become  possible,  viz.,  that 
of  the  reversed  lunge.  Here,  again,  the  turn  of  the  body 
is  effected  by  the  loose  free  swing  of  the  arms  from  the 
shoulder,  but  in  this  curve  they  descend  to  their  full 
length  and  pass  well  below  the  waist.  When  sufficient 
practice  has  made  possible  a  careful  analysis  of  what  I  may 
call  these  **  motive  curves,"  it  will  be  found  that  quite  half 
of  this  curve  is  completed  before  any  movement  of  the 
body  begins.  But  as  soon  as  the  half  is  finished,  the 
momentum  of  the  swing  comes  against  the  resistance 
of  the  shoulder,  and  against  this  resistance  the  whole 
body  is  swung  swiftly  round  into  the  final  obtuse  angle 
at  the  same  moment  that  the  left  foot  comes  to 
the  ground  as  its  new  base.  From  this  position,  a 
recovery  back  to  the  right  foot  must  be  made  without  in 
any  way  altering  the  angle  of  the  body.  This  is  effected 
by  the  usual  spring  from  the  ball  of  the  left  foot,  aided  by 
extreme  tension  of  the  right  leg,  so  that  both  feet  come 
together    high    on    the    toes,    the   whole    body   stretched 

143 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

upwards,  the  arms  still  uplifted  and  hands  still  clasped. 
This  position  is  shown  on  Plate  LIV.^;  and  the  final 
one  of  all  is  a  swift  downward  sweep  of  the  hands,  which 
descend  close  to  the  body  and  to  well  below  the  waist 
before  they  unclasp  and  separate  in  lateral  curves  to  right 
and  left,  stopping  finally  about  eight  or  ten  inches  away 
from  the  body,  the  fingers  fully  outstretched  and  tense, 
and  the  palms  facing  backwards  and  slightly  downwards. 
Simultaneously  with  this  downward  sweep  of  the  arms, 
which  must  be  extremely  rapid,  the  feet  are  lowered, 
so  that  the  heels  are  level  with  although  not  actually 
touching  the  ground,  for  all  the  weight  must  be  on  the 
forward  part  as  usual.  This  simultaneous  movement  of 
hands  and  feet  must  be  so  swift  and  so  exact  that  both 
cease  at  the  same  instant,  the  heels  being  brought  level 
with  the  ground,  on  the  principle  of  the  steam  hammer 
descending  to  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  a  watch-glass 
without  actually  touching  it.  There  must  be  the  same 
arrestive  force  in  the  downward  sweep  of  the  arms  as  in 
the  lowering  of  the  heels.  Plate  LIV.^  gives  this  last 
position  of  an  extremely  complicated  sequence  of  move- 
ments, and  it  will  be  a  long  while  before  repetitions  of  this 
exercise  become  possible.  The  angle  at  which  it  finishes, 
being  one  of  45  degrees  to  the  line  of  the  start,  the  next 
repetition  begins  by  taking  the  first  step  in  the  same  acute 
angle,  and  ends  at  a  right  angle,  beginning  again  in  the 
right  angle  and  ending  in  an  obtuse,  starting  on  the  obtuse, 
and  ending  on  the  half-circle,  and  so  on  with  three  more 
reflex  angles,  until  the  original  starting-point  is  reached. 
144 


EXERCISE    V 

To  make  a  complete  series  of  repetitions,  therefore,  the 
exercise  has  to  be  repeated  eight  times,  and  it  will  be  very 
near  perfection  when  the  series  of  eight  can  be  performed, 
starting  from  a  small  chalk  circle  the  size  of  a  quarter, 
and,  without  lowering  the  eyes  once,  returning  to  it  with 
the  last  step  taken  on  to  the  mark  I  When  the  first 
attempts  at  repetitions  are  made,  two  should  be  the  limit, 
otherwise  the  student  will  become  hopelessly  mixed  and 
neglect  the  necessary  fine  detail  of  the  movement  in  the 
effort  to  get  the  angles  correct.  Direction,  as  aim,  is 
entirely  secondary,  and  it  will  be  found  that  a  perfectly 
performed  sequence  cannot  fail  to  register  correct  angles, 
as  the  whole  secret  lies  in  the  centre  of  gravity,  and  its 
relation  to  its  base ;  if  the  two  remain  vertically  connected, 
the  angles  will  be  found  exact. 


145 


EXERCISE   VI 

THIS  exercise,  like  No.  IV.,  is  a  test  of  extremely 
difficult  balance  accompanied  by  comparatively 
easy  movement.  In  this  particular  case,  however, 
the  movement  is  forward  instead  of  backward,  which  makes 
the  mental  control  easier,  although  the  physical  difficulties 
are  much  greater  than  in  No.  IV. 

From  the  Preliminary  Position,  take  a  fairly  long  step 
back  with  the  left  foot,  turning  the  body  so  that  it  faces 
a  right  angle  to  the  original  position,  while  the  left  foot 
is  placed  on  the  ground  at  an  obtuse  angle  to  the 
direction  of  the  start.  The  right  foot  remains  on  the 
ground,  with  only  the  extreme  point  of  the  big  toe 
touching,  and  with  the  instep  turned  towards  the  left. 
In  taking  the  step  back,  the  weight  of  the  body  must 
travel  with  it,  so  that  the  moment  the  left  foot  touches 
the  ground,  the  left  knee  should  bend,  with  the  weight 
directly  over  it,  lowering  the  body  five  or  six  inches 
and  keeping  it  poised  on  the  ball  of  the  foot,  the  heel 
being  raised  a  full  inch  from  the  ground.  During 
these  combined  movements  of  body  and  feet,  the 
hands  and  arms  remain  exactly  as  in  the  Preliminary 
Position,  and  when  the  body  makes  the  acute  angle  turn 
on  the  first  backward  step,  the  movement  should  be  made 
146 


> 


< 


EXERCISE   VI 

from  the  hip  and  not  from  the  waist.  During  the  whole 
of  this  exercise,  the  arms  and  the  torso,  together  with  the 
head  and  the  neck,  remain  perfectly  rigid;  rigid  in  the  true 
technical  sense  of  the  word,  that  is  to  say,  with  their 
relative  positions  unchanged.  Plate  LV.^  gives  the  po- 
sition after  the  backward  lunge,  the  start  having  been 
made  on  the  left  of  the  photograph  with  the  body  in 
profile.  The  accuracy  of  the  poise  on  the  left  foot 
must  be  tested  by  raising  the  right  foot  for  an  instant 
by  a  movement  of  the  ankle  alone,  and  if  this  can  be 
done  without  disturbing  in  the  slightest  degree  the 
vertical  line  over  the  left  foot,  the  balance  is  perfect. 

The  exercise  now  consists  in  turning  the  body  into 
a  fresh  right  angle  to  the  left,  repeating  this  four  times 
(including  the  first),  which  brings  the  position  back  to 
the  original  starting-point.  Each  turn  must  be  accom- 
plished solely  by  a  movement  of  the  right  leg  and  the 
slightest  possible  turn  to  the  left  of  the  left  foot.  The 
preliminary  movement  for  this  turn  is  a  drawing  up 
of  the  right  foot  close  to  the  left,  without  touching 
it,  and  just  clearing  the  ground,  while  the  left 
knee  remains  bent,  the  right  knee  drawn  close  to  it. 
Plate  LV.^  shows  this  preparatory  drawing  up  of  the 
leg  before  shooting  it  out  into  a  fresh  right  angle, 
after  which  the  body  would  be  seen  in  profile,  the  right 
side  with  the  extended  leg  facing  the  spectator.  The 
right  foot  must  now  be  shot  out  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
at  a  left  right  angle  to  its  first  position,  which  move- 
ment  must    be   accompanied    by    the   equally  rapid    turn 

147 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

of  the  left  foot,  also  to  the  left.  This  turn  of  the 
left  foot  is  the  most  difficult  movement  to  make 
correctly,  although  it  would  not  appear  so.  The 
vertical  line  of  the  body  having  been  lowered  by  the 
bending  knee  so  that  it  passes  through  the  points  of 
shoulder,  hip,  and  foot  only,  the  strain  of  carrying 
the  weight  is  concentrated  on  the  extensor  muscles  of  the 
thigh,  and  the  tendon  Achilles ;  and  the  effort  to  main- 
tain rigid  equilibrium  in  this  position  is  extreme.  When, 
therefore,  is  added  to  this  a  movement  requiring  the  sudden 
change  of  direction  of  the  body  while  undergoing  this 
exceptional  strain,  without  altering  any  one  of  the  relative 
positions,  the  difficulties  will  be  obvious.  In  Exercise  V. 
the  initial  movement  of  the  arms  was  that  which  started 
the  vertical  line  of  the  body  (with  bent  knee),  revolving 
on  its  pivot,  a  movement  which,  working  as  it  did  from 
the  more  powerful  leverage  obtained  by  height,  was  able  to 
effect  the  turn  of  the  whole  body  with  literally  no  effort. 
In  the  present  case,  the  arms  are  rigid  and  immovable, 
therefore  the  whole  of  the  effort  is  confined  to  the  muscles 
of  the  foot,  which  must  be  so  strong  in  Tension  that  they 
are  able  to  make  the  turn  even  with  the  weight  above  them. 
This  is  not  only  possible  but  quite  simple  if  the  whole 
body  is  equally  tense,  in  which  case,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, there  is  no  aggregate  of  weight  at  any  one  point, 
the  elasticity  of  the  Tension  keeping  it  as  a  moving 
quantity.  Therefore,  the  movement  of  the  left  foot  is 
merely  the  signal  for  concerted  action,  and,  like  the  flash 
of  a  chameleon's  tongue,  the  right  leg  shoots  out  into 
148 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    lo. 


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Copyyigl.t.'] 


Exercise  \'I.  in  Dclail. 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    lo.    (contumccl). 


Copyright.] 


Exercise  VI.  in  Detail. 


EXERCISE   VI 

fullest  Tension,  the  left  foot  has  turned,  and  the  whole 
body  is  at  a  fresh  angle,  without  the  alteration  of  a  hair's 
breadth  in  any  of  the  relative  positions.  The  drawing  up 
and  shooting  out  of  the  right  leg  should  be  a  rapidly- 
continuous  movement,  and,  when  it  is  performed  correctly, 
the  toe  comes  with  the  barest  touch  to  the  ground ;  the 
outline  traced  by  the  curve  of  the  leg  movement  being 
that  of  an  arc  of  a  circle.  The  great  difficulty  will  be 
to  localise  the  movement  to  the  right  leg  and  left  foot, 
especially  in  the  shooting  out.  The  body  is  bound  to 
topple  over  at  first,  and  the  weight  will  sway  to  the 
movement  of  the  leg  on  account  of  the  weakness  of  the 
left  knee  when  bent,  unused,  as  all  modern  knees  are,  to 
making  any  independent  movement.  It  will  be  a  long 
while  before  it  is  able  to  hold  the  whole  weight  of  the  body 
immobile  on  the  strength  of  its  own  particular  muscles. 
But  when  that  is  achieved,  it  is  a  beautiful  movement ; 
rapid  and  silent  and  definite,  as  each  change  shoots  the 
whole  position  into  a  fresh  angle.  And  so  on,  till  the 
four  are  accomplished,  and  later  on  eight,  or  twelve,  or 
even  more ;  but  this  is  a  test  for  very  perfect  knee  muscles, 
and  more  than  six  rounds,  viz.,  twenty-four  changes, 
should  never  be  attempted,  even  by  the  most  perfectly 
trained  muscles. 

The  recovery  is  a  light  spring  from  the  left  toes  back- 
wards, and  upwards,  which  brings  the  body  again  into  an 
erect  position,  with  both  feet  pressed  close  together  high 
up  on  the  toes.  Again  the  cinematograph  speaks  clearer 
than  the  most  lucid  explanation  could  ever  do,  and  Cinema 

149 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

Series  No.  10  is  worthy  of  the  most  careful  study.  The 
vertical  immobility  of  the  torso  is  admirably  demonstrated 
by  the  position  of  the  head  in  connection  with  the  side 
line  of  a  closed  window  which  is  seen  in  the  background. 
From  the  third  row,  right  on  to  the  last  row  but  one,  the 
relative  distance  of  the  head  from  this  line  never  changes, 
although  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  body  has  changed 
into  three  different  angles  in  this  interval. 


ISO 


EXERCISE   VII 

THIS  exercise  is,  like  the  second,  an  example  of  the 
triangle  of  forces,  finishing  in  exactly  the  same 
position  as  Exercise  II.,  although  arrived  at  in  a 
totally  different  way.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  Exercise 
II.  the  backward  and  upward  swing  of  the  right  leg  is,  so 
to  speak,  the  motive  force  of  the  sequence.  In  the  case  of 
Exercise  VII.,  the  whole  effort  is  concentrated  on  preventing 
this  leg  movement  until  the  last  moment,  when  the  leg  flies 
up  of  itself  irresistibly. 

From  the  Preliminary  Position,  raise  the  hands  to  the 
first  position  of  Exercise  II.,  viz.,  the  right  hand  with 
clenched  fist  raised  to  the  shoulder,  the  hand  turned  as 
far  round  to  the  left  as  possible,  the  elbow  bent  and  kept 
as  closely  to  the  waist  as  will  allow  the  forearm  to  remain 
nearly  vertical.  Simultaneously  with  this  movement,  the 
left  forearm  is  brought  across  the  waist  in  a  horizontal  line, 
the  hand  also  clenched.  In  this  position,  and  taking  great 
care  not  to  disturb  the  shoulders,  force  up  the  right  hip  by 
lifting  the  right  heel  as  high  as  possible  until  only  the 
extreme  point  of  the  big  toe  touches  the  ground,  keeping 
the  knee  absolutely  straight,  the  whole  leg  tense  and  unbend*- 
ing.  The  details  of  this  extraordinary  position  are  quite 
clear    on    Plate    LVI.'^     The   extreme    limit    of    Tension 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

in  the  right  leg  can  only  be  obtained  by  bending  the  body 
to  the  left,  which  must  be  done  very  slowly,  keeping  the 
head  vertical,  so  that,  as  the  body  bends  over  to  the  left  and 
slightly  forward,  the  head  remains  stationary,  while  the  right 
shoulder,  by  means  of  the  bending  neck,  gradually  comes 
quite  close  to  the  right  cheek,  not  lifted  specially,  and  above 
all  not  hunched  up  in  any  way,  but  brought  near  by  the 
lowering  of  the  left  shoulder  away  from  an  immovable  head. 
The  bend  of  the  body  to  the  left  must  take  place  at  the  waist 
only,  so  that  the  left  leg,  as  base,  may  remain  absolutely 
vertical,  the  foot  flat  on  the  ground.  It  is  most  important 
that  in  this  bending  over  of  the  body  from  the  waist,  there 
should  be  only  a  very  slight  lean  forward,  the  direction  of 
the  bend  being  almost  a  right  angle  from  that  in  which  the 
body  faces.  Plate  LVI.^  shows  this  side  bend  when  it 
is  about  half  completed.  Now  comes  the  moment  when 
the  Tension  plus  the  weight  of  the  leaning  body  make  it 
difficult  to  keep  the  right  toe  on  the  ground,  but  this  must 
be  done  until  the  bend  reaches  the  utmost  limit,  paying 
out  the  weight  and  drawing  out  the  muscles  of  the  right 
leg,  until  it  can  bear  it  no  longer,  when  in  an  instant  the 
body  actually  overbalances,  and  apparently  the  whole 
position  is  lost !  But  no,  it  is  just  this  overbalancing  that 
releases  the  tension  on  the  right  leg,  and  up  it  flies  Hke  a 
willow  branch  that  has  been  held  down,  just  at  the  exact 
moment  when  the  poise  seems  irrevocable  It  is  here 
that  the  principle  of  the  triangle  of  forces  comes  into 
action,  and  the  outward  and  upward  swing  of  the  right 
leg  counteracts  the  falling  body  by  throwing  out  a  weight 

152 


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EXERCISE   VII 

in  a  horizontal  line  at  a  sufficient  distance  to  form  a 
reaction  strong  enough  to  pull  the  body  back  into  balance, 
provided  always  there  is  that  perfect  connection  of  every 
muscle  through  complete  Tension.  Plate  LVI.'^  is  a 
very  fine  example  of  this  poise,  which  is  extremely  difficult 
to  maintain  for  any  length  of  time.  At  the  moment  of  this 
re-established  poise,  the  left  hand  is  pulled  round  to  the 
left  shoulder,  drawing  the  body  round  in  a  rapid  turn  to 
the  left ;  at  the  same  moment  the  waist,  with  a  quick  little 
twist  to  the  right,  readjusts  the  body  squarely  over  the  left 
foot,  which  has  acted  as  pivot  in  this  movement,  and  will 
now  be  at  a  right  angle  to  its  first  direction,  having  spun 
round  on  the  toes.  The  twist  of  the  waist  is  accompanied 
by  the  inward  turn  of  the  right  hip  and  consequently  the 
altered  position  of  the  whole  leg,  which  is  now  turned  so 
that  the  sole  of  the  foot  is  facing  upwards.  Here,  then,  is  the 
exact  position  of  the  poise  as  shown  in  Exercise  II.,  and 
Plate  LVII.  shows  it  exactly  as  it  took  place.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  the  outline  is  blurred,  and  this  is  accounted  for 
by  the  extreme  rapidity  with  which  the  turning  movement 
has  to  be  made  from  the  poise  of  Plate  LVI.^  Although 
my  photographer  wished  to  retouch  the  outlines,  I  preferred 
to  keep  it  untouched  as  is  the  case  with  all  the  photographs, 
that  they  might  above  all  be  absolutely  true.  The  recovery 
is  naturally  the  same  as  that  given  in  Exercise  II.,  viz.,  by 
raising  the  body  and  lowering  the  right  leg  simultaneously, 
without  relaxing  the  Tension  of  the  line  formed  by  the 
locking  of  the  spine  and  the  right  leg.  The  head  makes 
no  independent  movement,  but  is  carried  into    the    right- 

153 


THE    RENAISSANCE    OF    THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

angle  turn  with  the  body,  and  is  left  free  and  erect  by  the 
squaring  of  the  shoulders  which  is  the  result  of  the  waist 
twist.  After  the  final  recovery  on  to  the  toes,  the  position 
should  be  maintained,  as  with  all  exercises,  sufficiently 
long  to  make  quite  sure  that  the  balance  is  secure. 

This  particular  exercise  is  exceptional  in  its  move- 
ments of  the  sciatic  muscle  which  occur  at  the  moment 
of  the  simultaneous  twist  to  the  right  of  the  waist,  and 
inward  turn  to  the  left  of  the  right  leg;  these  two  move- 
ments combined  place  the  muscles  of  the  lumbar  region 
at  their  highest  pitch  of  Tension,  muscles  which  as  a  rule 
are  given  little  or  no  share  in  any  exercise,  but  which  in 
this  particular  movement  are  called  upon  to  bear  the  main 
responsibility  of  a  perfect  poise.  One  moment  finds  the 
body  bent  sideways  on  fully-stretched  abdominal  and  loin 
muscles ;  the  next  finds  it  presenting  a  full  face  to  the 
direction  in  which  the  side  bend  was  made,  the  twist 
having  been  made  by  the  small  of  the  back  on  a  tense 
pivot.  The  importance,  therefore,  of  this  particular  exer- 
cise from  a  purely  physical  point  of  view  is  obvious,  for 
the  large  majority  of  men  and  women,  especially  women, 
suffer  from  weakness  in  these  particular  muscles. 

As  the  final  recovery  is  identical  with  that  of 
Exercise  II.,  a  second  photograph  has  not  been  given,  and 
reference  can  easily  be  made  to  Plate  L.^ 

Four    repetitions    of    the    exercise    will    complete    the 

series,    each    ending     at     a     right-angle     turn,    but    with 

this     difference,     that     whereas     in     the     first     case     the 

pivot     itself     describes     a     small     square     as     the     body 

154 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    ii, 


Copyright] 


Exercise  VII.  in  Detail 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    ii    [coNtinncd). 


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Exercise  \  II.  in  Detail 


EXERCISE   VII 

changes  direction,  in  the  second  it  remains  stationary, 
each  turn  being  made  by  the  movement  of  the  foot 
alone,  without  change  of  place.  In  Cinema  Series  No.  11 
will  be  found  some  fine  positions,  notably  Nos.  13  and  15, 
which  have  been  enlarged  for  the  better  study  of  the 
actual  turn. 


155 


EXERCISE     VIII 

THIS  exercise  will  at  first  sight  seem  a  retrograde 
movement,  on  account  of  its  apparent  simplicity, 
but  it  is  just  this  simplicity  and  ease  which  make 
it  so  hard  to  achieve.  Apart  from  this,  each  sequence  ends 
at  an  acute  angle,  making  a  series  of  eight  repetitions,  which 
in  itself  trebles  the  difficulties,  and  the  movement  is  so 
peculiarly  continuous  that  the  general  impression  of  the 
eight  repetitions  is  that  they  form  a  circle.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  this  is  what  they  do,  and  this  makes  it  much  more 
difficult  to  judge  each  angle  correctly,  and  to  arrive  at  the 
finish  upon  the  actual  starting-point. 

The  start  is,  as  usual,  from  the  Preliminary  Position, 
and  begins  by  raising  the  hands  as  in  Exercise  I.  This  is 
followed  by  a  short  step  back  with  the  left  foot,  leaving 
the  right  with  only  the  extreme  point  of  the  toe  touching 
the  ground,  both  knees  perfectly  straight  and  tense. 
Plate  LVIII.'^  shows  this  position.  Now,  without  altering 
the  position  of  the  feet,  carry  the  uplifted  arms  and 
shoulders  right  round  to  the  left  until  the  arms  form  a  right 
angle  to  the  direction  of  the  feet.  This  is  a  movement 
made  by  the  waist  and  hips,  which  twist  the  whole  of 
the  upper  part  of  the  body  to  the  left,  without  disturbing 
the  position  of  the  legs.  (See  Plate  LVIII.^)  When  the 
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P-i 


EXERCISE    VIII 

right-angle  turn  of  the  shoulders  is  completed,  the  move- 
ment must  be  carried  on  without  the  least  pause  by  the 
right  foot,  which  comes  round  and  back  in  a  sweeping 
inward  curve,  until  in  line  with  the  left  foot.  This 
places  the  right  foot  about  fifteen  inches  back,  and  the 
same  to  the  right  of  its  first  position,  which  really 
means  that  it  is  now  about  a  foot  length  and  a  half 
behind  the  left  foot,  and  pointing  at  an  acute  angle 
to  its  first  direction.  As  the  right  foot  touches  the 
ground,  the  knee  should  bend,  lowering  the  body  about 
five  inches.  The  left  foot  should  now  be  touching 
the  ground  with  the  extreme  point  of  the  big  toe,  and 
although  the  heel  will  be  well  raised,  the  direction  of 
the  whole  foot  should  be  exactly  the  same  as  it  was 
when  having  taken  the  first  step  back,  while  the  right  foot 
will  be  pointing  to  the  left,  in  an  acute  angle  to  its  first 
direction.  These  details  are  extremely  intricate,  but 
Plate  LVIII.'^  will,  I  hope,  render  them  comprehensible. 
The  greatest  care  must  be  given  to  the  study  of  the  different 
positions  of  the  feet,  as  these  are  of  the  utmost  importance. 
Now  comes  a  free  upward  swing  of  the  left  leg  into  the  acute 
angle  midway  between  the  line  of  the  start  and  the  right- 
angle  turn.  After  reaching  a  horizontal  Hne,  it  swings 
back  to  the  right  foot,  which,  on  the  upward  swing,  should 
rise  right  up  on  to  the  toes,  with  the  knee  still  bent.  (See 
Plate  LVIII.^)  On  the  downward  movement  the  right 
knee  straightens  up  to  meet  the  left  foot,  so  that  both  may 
come  close  together  in  the  effort  to  bring  the  body  into 
an  erect  poise.     Simultaneously  with  the  upward  swing  of 

157 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  left  leg,  the  arms  must  swing  down  to  the  left  side  to 
counterbalance  the  leg  movement  to  the  right.  These 
movements  will  be  recognised  as  very  similar  to  those  of 
Exercise  I.,  and  the  recovery,  as  in  the  case  of  the  first 
exercise,  is  made  by  carrying  the  arms  up  to  their  first 
position  at  the  same  moment  that  the  left  leg  is  lowered. 

The  final  direction  of  feet  and  body  will  be  into  an 
acute  angle  from  the  first  line,  and  in  this  position  lies  the 
difficulty  of  the  repetitions.  It  means  the  complicated 
mental  performance  of  making  a  right  angle  turn  from  an 
acute  angle  position,  and  it  is  quite  useless  to  trust  to  the 
eyes  to  find  land-marks.  It  is  the  feeling  of  the  position 
which  will  be  the  test  of  an  accurate  angle,  and  the  whole 
attention  should  be  directed  towards  the  perfection  of  each 
detail,  which  alone  will  give  correct  angles. 

The  most  important  thing  in  this  exercise  is  to  keep 
the  movement  continuous  and  smooth.  This  does  not 
apply  to  the  repetitions  only,  but  to  every  change  of 
position  in  the  single  sequence,  as,  for  example,  the 
immediate  carrying-on  movement  of  the  right  leg,  as  soon 
as  the  body  has  been  turned  into  a  right  angle,  the 
immediate  bend  of  the  right  knee  as  soon  as  the  foot 
touches  the  ground  on  its  backward  step,  the  immediate 
upward  swing  of  the  left  leg  the  moment  the  right  knee 
is  bent,  and  the  equally  rapid  lowering  of  the  left  leg  as 
soon  as  the  horizontal  line  has  been  reached.  And  so  on, 
like  a  wave,  rising  and  falling,  should  be  the  movement  of 
this  apparently  simple  yet  unaccountably  difficult  exercise. 
The  torso  remains  throughout  vertical  and  practically 
158 


EXERCISE   VIII 

immobile,  except  for  the  turn  of  the  waist  on  the  second 
movement.  Unfortunately,  the  Cinema  Series  of  this 
exercise  has  been  mislaid,  but  the  large  plates  are  so 
exceptionally  full  of  detail  that  there  will  be  no  difficulty 
in  arriving  at  a  clear  understanding  of  the  changes  of 
position.  There  is,  however,  a  Cinema  Series  representing 
a  combination  of  two  exercises  in  which  this  fortunately 
happens  to  be  one.  In  Cinema  Series  No.  15,  therefore, 
the  first  two  rows  and  a  half  represent  the  whole  of  this 
exercise  before  it  merges  into  a  second,  and  a  reference  to 
this  series  will  provide  all  the  details  necessary  for  the 
single  exercise. 


159 


EXERCISE   IX 

THIS  exercise  needs  great  care,  because,  unless  the 
details  of  each  change  of  position  are  followed 
out  accurately,  the  movements  may  become  too 
great  a  strain.  But  given  the  necessary  caution,  there  is  no 
need  to  fear  an  over-strain.  If  the  other  exercises  have  been 
patiently  studied,  the  muscles  of  the  diaphragm  and  the 
waist  will  have  become  so  much  stronger  that  they  will  be 
quite  ready  to  undertake  the  whole  strain  of  this  move- 
ment, or,  to  be  more  accurate,  share  it  with  the  knee 
muscles,  for  the  whole  strain  is  concentrated  on  the  inside 
muscles  of  the  knee  and  those  of  the  diaphragm  and  waist: 
sets  of  muscles  which  are  rarely  if  ever  called  upon  to  play 
a  really  important  part  in  any  of  the  usual  exercises.  This 
concentration  of  effort  on  two  sets  of  muscles  does  not 
mean  that  no  others  share  in  the  movement.  Ail  are 
vibrating  with  tense  alertness  in  the  effort  to  disperse  the 
weight  in  order  to  relieve  the  two  points  of  special  strain, 
and  it  would  be  impossible  to  achieve  any  sort  of  success 
with  this  particular  exercise  unless  the  Tension  were 
complete. 

Begin,  then,  from  the  Preliminary  Position  by  taking  a 
rather  short  step  forward  on  to  the  ball  of    the  left  foot, 
and  instantly  spinning  round  on  it  into  a  left  right  angle, 
1 60 


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EXERCISE    IX 

while  at  the  same  moment  the  right  foot  makes  a  long 
lunge  to  the  right  side  in  such  a  manner  as  to  lower  the 
body  five  or  six  inches  on  bent  knees,  the  weight  equally 
divided  between  both  feet,  which  should  be  well  turned 
outwards.  The  spine  should  be  kept  quite  still  and 
vertical,  and  the  arms  should  hang  straight  down  at  each 
side,  tense  as  to  muscle,  but  quite  loose  and  free  at  the 
shoulder  socket.  Plate  LIX.'^  shows  the  position  as  it 
should  be  after  having  made  the  right-angle  turn.  The 
three  movements  that  go  to  make  up  this  turn,  the  spin 
on  the  left  foot,  the  side  lunge  with  the  right,  and  the 
bending  of  the  knees,  should  all  be  done  simultaneously 
with  the  utmost  rapidity,  and  in  studying  Plate  LIX.^ 
it  must  be  remembered  that  the  start  was  made  facing  the 
spectator.  Great  care  must  be  taken  to  maintain  the 
weight  of  the  body  exactly  between  the  two  feet. 

The  movement  which  follows  is  a  backward  lean  of 
the  shoulders,  together  with  a  simultaneous  push  forward 
of  the  hips  and  a  turning  in  of  the  knees,  and  the  farther 
back  the  shoulders  are  able  to  lean,  the  farther  forward 
must  come  the  hips  and  the  nearer  together  the  knees. 
The  hip  movement  forward  is  to  counterbalance  the  back- 
ward lean  of  the  shoulders,  and  the  narrowing  of  the 
distance  between  the  knees  is  to  avoid  what  would 
otherwise  be  a  dangerous  strain  on  the  groin  muscles. 
With  the  turning  in  of  the  knees  comes  a  similar  inward 
lean  of  the  feet  until  the  outside  edge  of  the  sole  is  raised 
quite  clear  from  the  ground,  and  all  contact  is  on  the 
inside  of  the  foot,  as  far  as  the  ankle,   which  eventually 

i6i 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

lies  over  on  the  ground.  This  turning  in  of  the  knees 
and  feet  leaves  unstretched  the  abdominal  and  groin 
muscles  and  makes  possible  an  extraordinary  backward 
lean  on  the  strength  of  the  diaphragm  alone,  and,  what  is 
more,  without  the  least  strain,  except  indeed  on  the 
inside  muscles  of  the  knee,  which  are  stretched  to  their 
utmost  by  the  increase  of  the  bend  as  the  body  is 
lowered.  Plate  LIX.^  should  now  be  studied,  so  that 
the  position  of  the  head  and  the  angle  of  the  body  may 
be  noted.  Here  it  is  wise  to  insert  a  caution  against  any 
attempt  to  lean  back  before  the  knees  are  brought  together, 
for  if  this  is  tried,  instantly  a  great  strain  and  dragging 
will  be  felt  on  the  abdominal  and  groin  muscles,  which  is 
most  harmful.  No  exercise  that  causes  pain  can  be  right. 
Muscles  which  have  been  overstrained  never  reach  their 
full  power  of  elasticity — on  the  contrary,  contraction  and 
hardening  is  the  inevitable  reaction  of  overstrain,  a 
condition  known  among  athletes  as  "  muscle-bound." 
In  the  case  of  this  particular  exercise,  the  turning  in  of 
the  knees  relaxes  all  the  abdominal  and  groin  muscles,  and 
allows  direct  leverage  between  the  diaphragm  and  the 
foot. 

While  m  the  position  shown  on  Plate  LIX.^,  the 
body  should  be  swayed  backwards  and  forwards,  great 
care  being  taken  not  to  straighten  the  knees  in  any  way, 
but  only  to  widen  or  close  them  according  as  the  body 
sways  forward  or  backward ;  widening,  of  course,  on  the 
forward  movement,  narrowing  on  the  backward,  quicker 
and  quicker  as  the  strain  becomes  less,  but  never  repeating 
162 


EXERCISE    IX 

more  than  six  times  at  a  break.  The  forward  movement 
is  merely  the  return  to  the  vertical,  and  is  therefore  a 
negative  one  in  relation  to  the  first  position. 

I  hesitated  a  long  while  before  adding  Plate  LIX.^, 
on  account  of  the  danger  of  premature  attempts  to  arrive 
at  it,  and  I  most  strongly  advise  that  it  should  be  left 
alone  by  all  whose  muscles  are  not  in  the  very  finest 
condition. 

It  might  appear  quite  a  simple  matter  to  drop  on  to 
the  knees  in  this  position,  and  so  it  would  be.  But  now 
study  the  photograph.  The  knees  are  not  on  the  ground ; 
they  have  been  lowered  slowly,  slowly,  until  within  an 
inch ;  even  the  calves  of  the  legs  are  not  touching,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  faint  line  of  light  between  them 
and  the  ground.  The  effort  is  terrific,  and  the  whole 
beauty  of  it  lies  in  the  strong  muscular  control  that 
forces  the  knees  to  bend  slowly,  slowly,  until  they  reach 
to  within  a  fraction  of  the  ground,  and  then,  as  slowly, 
rise  again ;  that  is  the  difficulty.  Going  down  is  hard 
enough — look  at  the  muscles  of  the  neck  standing  out 
through  the  jersey ;  look  at  the  diaphragm,  it  is  Hke  a 
board— and  then  picture  the  strength  of  the  foot  and 
knee  that  are  going  to  reverse  that  tremendous  strain 
without  an  interval,  without  any  definite  point  of  leverage. 
It  is  the  diaphragm  that  leads,  and  the  feet  and  knees  obey. 

Perhaps,  too,  I  have  added  this  photograph  from  a 
little  feeling  of  conscious  pride  in  being  able  to  prove 
what  even  forty-seven-year-old  muscles  are  able  to  do 
when  finely  trained. 

163 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE  GREEK   IDEAL 

And  now,  after  this  exercise,  evolved  solely  for  the 
strengthening  of  the  diaphragm,  another  follows  which 
has  been  thought  out  with  a  view  to  suppling  the  same 
muscle. 


164 


EXERCISE   X 

THIS  exercise  consists  in  moving  in  two  different 
directions  at  the  same  moment. 
It  was  done  by  the  Egyptians  and  by  the 
Greeks,  and  later  by  the  Parthians,  who  survive  to  this  day 
as  a  small  clan  in  the  heart  of  Thibet,  where  they  were  re- 
cently discovered  by  the  French  explorer,  Mons.  D'Ollon. 
He  describes  how  among  this  remnant  of  the  Parthian 
tribe  may  still  be  seen  men  who  run  in  one  direction 
and  shoot  in  another,  the  origin  of  the  expression  "a 
Parthian  shaft." 

In  this  exercise  the  whole  body  is  braced  into  the 
utmost  Tension,  and  the  upper  and  lower  parts  will  work 
against  each  other,  with  the  diaphragm  as  an  axis  on 
which  each  half  may  turn  in  opposite  directions. 

From  the  Preliminary  Position,  begin  by  taking  a  short 
step  forward  with  the  left  foot,  bringing,  as  usual,  the 
whole  weight  on  to  the  ball  of  the  foot,  the  heel  just 
off  the  ground,  and  only  the  toes  of  the  right  foot 
touching  the  ground,  the  arms  hanging  straight  and  tense 
at  the  sides,  with  clenched  fists.  Plate  LX.^  shows 
this  position,  and  while  studying  the  photograph  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  actual  advance  is  going  to  be 
made  towards  the  spectator,  while  the  incentive  movement, 

i6s 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

if  I  may  use  such  an  expression,  will  be  to  right  and 
left.  As  soon  as  the  step  is  completed,  swing  the  arms 
round  as  far  as  possible  to  the  left  until  they  have  made 
the  shoulders  and  the  head  complete  a  right-angle  turn. 
They  will  now  be  facing  the  direction  in  which  the 
actual  advance  of  the  body  is  to  be  made.  Plate  LX.'' 
shows  the  position  when  the  arms  have  been  brought 
round,  and  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  face  and  shoulders 
are  looking  directly  over  the  left  hip.  The  next  move- 
ment consists  in  a  complete  swing  round  on  the  ball 
of  the  left  foot,  which  should  now  face  the  opposite 
direction,  while  the  right  takes  the  place  of  forward 
foot  with  all  the  weight  upon  it,  leaving  this  time  the 
left  toes  on  the  ground.  The  rapid  turn  of  the  feet  will 
now  bring  the  right  hip  to  the  front,  and  simultaneously 
with  the  leg  movement  the  arms  must  swing  in  the 
opposite  direction,  as  far  as  they  can,  to  the  right,  to 
prevent  the  shoulders  from  moving,  so  that  each  time 
the  swing  of  the  hips  is  made  directly  to  right  or  left,  the 
arms  swing  in  the  opposite  direction,  while  the  head  and 
shoulders  remain  rigid,  advancing  always  in  the  same  line 
of  sight.  Plate  LX.^  shows  simply  the  reversal  of  the 
movement.  The  black  line  behind  the  head  was  placed 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  how  very  slight  is  the 
deviation  of  the  body  from  the  direct  line  of  advance, 
in  spite  of  the  lateral  movement  of  the  feet  with  each 
step,  which,  when  completed,  represents  an  advance  of 
from  six  to  eight  inches.  These  last  two  photographs  were 
taken  without  any  interval  between  the  two  movements, 
1 66 


X 

w  „ 
< 


X 


■Ci. 


o 


EXERCISE   X 

except  that  necessary  for  raising  the  camera  shutter 
preparatory  to  taking  the  second,  so  they  are  strictly 
sequential.  Throughout  the  whole  of  this  exercise,  the 
knees  must  remain  braced  into  full  tension,  each  step 
being  taken  as  one  movement  from  hip  to  foot.  Six  or 
eight  steps  should  be  the  limit  for  the  first  attempts, 
but  eventually  twenty-five  or  thirty  may  be  done  without 
strain. 

A  careful  study  of  the  photographs  should  be  made, 
with  a  view  to  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  foot 
positions,  remembering  that  the  ball  of  the  forward  foot 
is  the  momentary  pivot  during  the  swing  round,  but  that 
the  weight  of  the  body  comes  instantly  on  to  the  other 
foot,  the  moment  it  has  been  brought  round  to  form  the 
new  pivot. 

These  last  two  exercises  have  been  specially  thought 
out  in  connection  with  the  diaphragm  and  waist  muscles, 
and  having  less  variety  of  movement  than  the  others  will 
probably  prove  less  interesting.  On  the  other  hand,  what 
movement  there  is  will  be  found  more  difficult  than  any 
other,  and  for  this  reason  these  two  exercises  have  been 
postponed  until  the  muscles  have  reached  that  condition 
of  strength  and  elasticity  which  makes  them  possible. 

No  cinematographic  series  exists  at  present  of  the  two, 
as  they  were  only  thought  out  after  the  others  had  been 
taken,  and  were  unfortunately  too  late  to  be  included  with 
them. 


167 


EXERCISE   XI 

NOW  comes  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  exercises, 
in  which  positions  occur  more  striking  and  more 
varied  than  in  any  other.  As  there  are  many- 
details  which  cannot  be  seen  when  doing  the  exercise  in 
profile,  two  series  of  photographs  have  been  given  in  this 
case ;  one  taken  in  profile  and  one  full-face.  Besides  these, 
the  cinema  series  gives  all  the  intermediate  changes. 

From  the  Preliminary  Position,  take  a  short  step 
forward  on  to  the  ball  of  the  right  foot,  bringing  the 
whole  weight  over  it  in  a  vertical  line,  leaving  the  left  leg 
stretched,  behind  and  slightly  to  the  left  side,  with  only 
the  extreme  tip  of  the  big  toe  touching  the  ground.  As 
the  step  forward  is  being  taken,  the  right  arm  should  be 
raised  simultaneously  in  a  position  of  parry,  the  forearm 
just  above  the  head  and  about  five  or  six  inches  in  front 
of  it,  the  fingers  tense  and  outstretched,  the  palm  of  the 
hand  turned  outwards.  Plate  LXI."^  illustrates  this  first 
position,  in  which  the  spring  of  the  feet  should  be 
specially  noted.  The  left  arm  should  hang  straight  and 
tense,  well  away  from  the  left  side.  From  this  position  a 
very  rapid  vertical  drop  should  be  made  on  the  ball  of  the 
right  toes  until  the  knee  is  so  bent  that  the  thigh  is 
horizontal  and  the  body  actually  sitting  on  the  right  heel. 
1 68 


PLATE    LXI. 


Cofi\right.'\ 


Eiercise  XI.  (Profile  View.) 


EXERCISE   XI 

When  speaking  of  this  movement  as  a  "  drop  "  on  to  the 
heel,  I  do  not  mean  that  the  movement  may  be  either 
jerky  or  uncontrolled ;  on  the  contrary,  the  greatest 
muscular  control  is  required  to  enable  the  bend  of  the 
knee  to  be  performed  with  the  greatest  rapidity  without 
disturbing  in  the  slightest  degree  the  vertical  poise  of  the 
body.  The  effort  is  divided  between  the  muscles  of  the 
diaphragm,  knee,  and  foot,  the  diaphragm  maintaining 
the  poise,  while  the  knee  and  foot  lower  the  weight. 
Simultaneously  with  this  drop  comes  the  bend  of  the 
left  knee  in  such  a  manner  that  the  foot  and  knee  lie 
over  on  the  inside  close  to  the  ground,  although  only 
the  foot  touches  it,  the  sole  lying  at  right  angles  to  the 
ground,  facing  backwards.  The  arms  change  position  as 
the  knees  bend ;  the  right  being  brought  down  from  that 
of  parry  to  one  of  attack ;  the  fist  clenched,  the  elbow 
close  to  the  side,  but  slightly  in  front  of  the  waist  line. 
The  left  arm  should  reach  well  forward,  nearly  at  full 
length,  and  with  open  hand,  to  about  ten  inches  to  the 
left  of,  but  exactly  level  with,  the  right  knee.  Plate  LXI.^ 
shov/s  this  position  in  profile.  The  great  difficulty  of 
this  movement  consists  in  keeping  the  line  of  the  body 
absolutely  vertical  over  the  bending  toes  of  the  right  foot 
without  once  leaning  forward  during  the  drop,  but  if 
perfectly  executed  it  will  be  found  that  the  right  thigh  is 
at  a  right  angle  to  the  spine,  and  the  right  toes  at  a 
right  angle  to  the  instep;  this  latter  detail  being  an 
impossible  achievement  for  the  untrained  foot.  In  the 
profile  view  of  this  position,  the  right  foot  is  hidden,  but 

169 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

it  can  be  seen  in  the  full  view.  (See  Plate  LXII.^)  From 
this  crouching  position,  the  right  knee  should  now  be  made 
to  touch  the  ground,  levered  forward  on  the  toes  of  the 
right  foot,  a  still  greater  test  for  the  toe  muscles ;  while 
the  torso  remains  absolutely  motionless  and  vertical.  The 
moment  the  knee  touches,  the  whole  weight  of  the  body 
should  be  brought  forward,  though  not  allowed  to  rest  on 
the  knee  for  more  than  an  instant,  but,  passing  on,  be 
brought  to  a  vertical  poise  over  the  right  hand,  which 
reaches  forward  to  form  the  new  base.  The  whole  arm 
should  form  a  vertical  line  from  the  shoulder,  and  almost 
the  entire  weight  should  be  over  this  line,  for  in  the  reach 
forward  the  right  foot  is  entirely  relieved  of  any  weight, 
and  even  the  left  foot,  which  will  have  been  drawn  forward 
about  ten  inches,  will  be  touching  the  ground  with  only 
the  extreme  point  of  the  toe,  so  that  it  forms  quite  a 
secondary  support.  On  the  completion  of  this  same 
reach  forward,  the  right  knee  must  be  lifted  well  off  the 
ground,  while  at  the  same  moment  the  left  hand  is 
clenched  and  drawn  right  up  to  the  left  arm-pit,  so  that 
the  left  elbow  is  bent  to  its  limit  and  remains  in  vertical 
line  above  the  shoulder.  This  line  should,  if  the  position 
is  correct,  be  able  to  pass  unbroken  through  the  right 
shoulder  to  the  right  hand. 

The  whole  of  the  front  of  the  body  should  be  facing 
the  left,  while  the  right  toes  remain  in  exactly  the  same 
spot  through  the  whole  exercise,  although,  as  will  be  seen, 
they  become  still  more  bent  over  on  the  reach  forward. 
In  lifting  the  right  knee  off  the  ground  as  soon  as  the 
170 


EXERCISE   XI 

right  hand  is  placed  as  base,  great  care  must  be  taken  not 
to  allow  this  movement  to  disturb  any  of  the  other  relative 
positions. 

The  first  attempts  nearly  always  produce  a  hunching 
up  of  the  back  because  of  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the 
hip-socket  loose  ;  but  if  this  is  free  the  movement  of  the 
leg  need  in  no  way  affect  the  spine.  Plate  LXI.^  shows 
this  fine  poise,  which  is  a  very  perfect  example  of  move- 
ment, restricting  the  body  to  its  narrowest  limits  within  two 
planes,  and  is  almost  a  better  example  of  this  than  the 
much-disputed  Discobolus  of  Myron.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  in  the  reach  forward  the  left  leg  has  straightened  into 
the  utmost  Tension,  and  it  is  just  the  tension  of  this  leg 
which  is  the  key  to  what  otherwise  would  be  an  impossible 
balance. 

After  a  moment's  pause  in  this  position,  the  recovery 
begins  by  replacing  the  right  knee  on  the  ground,  and 
drawing  up  the  left  foot  level  with,  and  about  four  inches 
to  the  left  of  it,  at  the  same  moment  the  body  is 
raised  once  more  into  a  vertical  Hne,  while  the  arms  hang 
straight  down  at  the  sides,  about  ten  inches  away  from  the 
body.  (See  Plate  LXI."^)  The  weight  is  now  fully  over  the 
right  knee,  and  the  final  movement  consists  in  transferring 
it  to  the  left  foot  and  rising  in  a  vertical  line,  just  as  the 
descent  was  made  over  the  right,  which  brings  back  the 
first  position,  with  this  difference,  that  the  left  foot  is 
forward.  The  repetition  may  now  begin  by  once  more 
bringing  the  right  foot  forward,  with  the  uplifted  arm,  and 
so  on  through  six  or  eight  of  these  beautiful  sequences  of 

171 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK  IDEAL 

a  rising  and  falling  line ;  swift,  smooth,  and  vertical,  on 
the  springs  of  knee  and  foot,  Plate  LXI.^  shows  the 
position  of  the  final  recovery.  The  fine  full-view  positions 
of  this  exercise  are  very  successful  photographs  ;  the  first 
is  probably  the  finest  example  of  vibrating  Tension  in 
the  whole  book,  the  feet  seeming  barely  to  touch  the 
ground.  This  sequence  is  illustrated  by  Plates  LXII.'^, 
LXII.^  LXII.^  LXII.^,  and  LXII.^ 

In  the  second  position  of  this  full-view  sequence,  note 
carefully  the  angle  of  the  left  knee,  which  is  quite  clear 
of  the  ground. 

Cinema  Series  No.  12  shows  all  the  intermediate 
positions  of  this  exercise,  especially  those  taken  in  the 
rapid  drop  of  the  body,  where  once  more  it  may  be  seen  that 
the  head  descends  in  the  same  unwavering  vertical  line,  if 
compared  carefully  with  a  little  mark  on  the  background 
directly  behind  it. 


172 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    12. 


mm 


2 


Copyri«lil. 


Exercise  XI.  ia  Detail. 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    12    (continued). 


\ 


i 


Copyright.-] 


Exercise  XI.  iti  Detail. 


EXERCISE   XII 

WE  come  now  to  the  last  exercise,  in  which  the  test 
of  mental  and  physical  control  is  equal,  and  both 
required  at  their  maximum. 

From  the  Preliminary  Position,  take  a  step  forward 
with  the  left  foot,  and  bend  over  till  the  spine  is  horizontal, 
stretching  the  arms  behind,  also  horizontal,  with  clenched 
fists,  the  face  raised,  with  the  Hne  of  sight  still  horizontal. 
This  movement  will  bring  the  weight  entirely  over  the  ball 
of  the  left  foot,  the  heel  of  which  must  be  at  least  half  an 
inch  from  the  ground.  The  right  foot  will  be  touching 
with  only  the  extreme  point  of  the  big  toe,  and  all  the 
muscles  up  the  back  of  the  leg  will  be  stretched  to  their 
utmost  by  the  bending  forward  of  the  body.  Care  must 
be  taken  not  to  let  the  head  drop  forward  or  the  balance 
will  be  impossible.  Plate  LXIII."^  shows  this  position, 
which  was  unfortunately  snapped  a  moment  before  the 
spine  reached  the  horizontal  line,  but  as  the  Cinema 
Series  No.  13  has  some  very  perfect  positions,  it  is  of  no 
importance. 

From  this  position,  a  long  lunge  back  must  be  taken, 
without  looking  round,  a  movement  which  constitutes 
literally  a  fall  back,  the  actual  fall  being  only  saved  at  the 
last   moment.     It  is   here  that  the  will  is  put  to  such  an 

173 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE    GREEK   IDEAL 

unusual  test.  The  instinct  to  look  round  while  falling 
back  is  so  strong  that  it  will  be  a  long  while  before  the 
beginner  can  overcome  the  desire.  It  is  just  this  looking 
back  which  upsets  the  physical  balance,  a  result  right  and 
logical  in  principle :  for,  where  hesitation  and  uncertainty 
and  fear  take  hold  of  the  will,  the  action  that  follows  must 
of  necessity  be  unreliable.  As  the  right  foot  is  lifted  from 
the  ground  preparatory  to  its  lunge  back,  there  must  be 
no  alteration  in  the  position  of  the  body  or  the  head,  both 
being  allowed  to  fall  back  as  one  combined  weight,  with- 
out the  least  resistance.  Back,  back,  they  must  fall, 
while  the  right  knee  bends  more  and  more  to  avoid 
touching  the  ground  with  the  foot,  which  would  check 
the  movement.  The  left  knee  should  remain  straight 
until  the  last  moment,  when  the  torso  and  head  are 
raised,  and  turned  like  a  flash  right  round  to  the  right 
until  they  have  made  a  complete  half-circle,  which  will 
leave  them  facing  in  exactly  the  opposite  direction  to  that 
of  the  start.  This  turn  is  aided  by  the  movement  of  the 
right  arm,  which  is  swung  round  until  the  hand  is  level 
with  the  right  shoulder,  the  elbow  bent  to  its  utmost,  the 
fist  still  clenched.  The  left  arm  during  this  movement 
should  also  bend,  but  in  an  opposite  direction,  for  it 
remains  behind  the  back  with  the  forearm  lying  horizontal, 
and  with  the  back  of  the  clenched  hand  touching  the 
body.  The  right  foot  comes  to  the  ground  at  the  same 
moment  that  the  body  makes  the  half-circle  turn,  the 
right  knee  very  much  bent,  the  foot  itself  turning  slightly 
to  the  left  (to  be  exact,  it  should  form  an  acute  angle  to 

174 


X 

w 

<: 


EXERCISE    XII 

the  direction  of  the  body),  while  the  torso  is  facing  full  and 
squarely  in  the  opposite  direction  to  that  in  which  it  started. 
The  hips  should  be  facing  the  same  acute  angle  as  the  right 
foot,  the  shoulders  alone  having  squared  to  the  half-circle. 
We  left  the  left  leg  with  the  weight  of  the  body 
rocking  back  upon  it.  At  the  moment  of  the  turn,  the 
left  foot  should  also  turn  on  the  heel  to  a  right  angle,  and 
as  the  right  foot  touches  the  ground  the  left  drops  over 
on  its  inside  line,  so  that  the  ankle  is  on  the  ground, 
the  knee  bent,  and  lying  over,  the  under  side  almost 
touching  the  ground.  The  whole  of  this  position  will 
now  be  clearly  understood  if  Plate  LXIII.^  is  carefully 
studied,  as  the  photograph  shows  admirably  every  detail. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  torso  is  vertical,  and  that  the 
whole  weight  is  directly  over  the  left  knee,  which,  how- 
ever, is  not  on  the  ground,  so  that  the  knee  constitutes 
what  one  might  call  a  suspended  base,  being  directly 
under  the  centre  of  gravity,  but  not  needed,  owing  to 
the  strength  of  the  knee  muscles,  which  form  so  strong  a 
point  of  leverage  that  the  weight  can,  through  their  move- 
ment, be  transferred  instantly  to  either  the  right  or  left 
foot.  Having  arrived  at  this  position,  test  the  spring  of 
the  knees  by  raising  and  lowering  the  torso,  always  in  a 
strictly  vertical  line,  the  left  knee  rising  about  ten  inches 
above  the  ground,  and  descending  to  about  one  inch,  but 
never  actually  touching.  This  is  one  of  the  great  knee 
tests,  as  the  whole  strain  of  the  spring  movement  falls  on 
the  inside  muscle  of  the  left  knee.  But,  if  you  reach  a 
condition  which  enables  you  to  make  this  movement  with 

175 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

ease,  what  wonderful  knees  you  will  have!  Priceless 
springs  of  steel  that  feel  no  strain  too  great  to  bear;  and 
therefore  this  test  of  rising  and  falling  on  one  set  of  springs 
will  produce  a  feeling  of  great  exhilaration  without  the 
least  fatigue.  Make  the  last  upward  rise  simultaneous 
with  a  strong  spring  back  from  the  ball  of  the  right  foot 
and  a  straightening  up  of  the  left  knee,  and  you  will  have 
lifted  your  whole  body  into  line  once  more,  back  on 
to  the  left  toes,  drawing  the  right  foot  close  to  the  left,  the 
arms  still  in  the  position  shown  in  Plate  LXIII.'^ 

The  final  movement  is  a  lowering  of  the  arms  to 
the  sides,  tense,  and  with  outstretched  fingers,  while  the 
body  remains  on  the  ball  of  the  toes,  light  and  vibrating 
from  the  spring.  Plate  LXIII.^  gives  the  position  just 
before  the  arms  are  lowered,  after  which  the  final  move- 
ment leaves  the  whole  body  in  exactly  the  same  position 
as  that  in  which  it  began  these  exercises. 

To  those  who  have  been  able  to  follow  them  through 
to  the  end,  working  patiently  for  their  perfect  accom- 
plishment, I  would  say  what  Nestor  said  to  Atrides, 
in  the  Iliad :  "  Suppose  thy  nerves  endow'd  with 
strength  superior,  .  .  .  King  of  men,  command  thou 
then  thyself."  And  it  is  indeed  a  "strength  superior" 
that  will  vibrate  through  nerve  and  muscle  trained  to 
understand  the  meaning  of  Tension :  the  power  of  a  full 
and  complete  activity. 

Cinema    Series  No.   13  will  make  clear  any  difficulty 
which    has    not    been   explained,    and    an    enlargement    of 
the    twenty  -  second    position    has    been    added    for    the 
176 


CINEMA     SERIES,    No.    13, 


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Ivxcrcis;;  XII.  in  Detail 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    13    [continued]. 


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CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    14. 


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Cdiiiliination  of  Exercises  ^'I.  niui  \'II.  in  Dctai 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    14   (coiitmued). 


Copyrighl.] 


Continuaiion  of  Exercises  \  I.  and  \  II. 


EXERCISE   XII 

purpose    of    showing    how    near    the    ground    the    knee 
may  go  without  actually  touching. 

With  this  exercise  ends  the  series  selected  as  suit- 
able for  a  complete  training,  although  three  times  as 
many  might  have  been  shown,  which  give  endless  variety 
of  movement.  But  it  would  be  impossible  to  give  them 
all  in  one  book,  and  it  will  be  for  the  really  keen 
student  to  try  and  work  out  the  various  combinations 
rendered  possible  by  the  twelve  "  basic "  exercises.  For 
instance,  try  combining  in  one  exercise  Nos.  1  and  2 : 
the  result  is  beautiful  though  extremely  difficult;  but 
you  see  where  the  one  glides  into  the  other?  On  the 
horizontal  lift  of  the  left  leg  which  occurs  in  the  first 
exercise.  Instead  of  bringing  the  leg  to  the  ground 
again,  make  it  swing  downwards  past  the  right,  and 
back  in  a  tense  line  to  the  left,  turning  the  body  to 
the  right  when  the  swing  is  half  completed,  and  pulling 
round  the  right  arm  to  the  shoulder  as  in  the  backward 
swing  of  Exercise  II.  The  position  will  then  be  that 
of  the  horizontal  poise,  the  two  combined  movements 
having  been  executed  on  the  ball  of  the  right  foot.  Then 
take  Exercises  VI.  and  VII.  and  make  the  Hnk  always 
on  the  middle  poise  of  the  first  of  the  pair.  This 
combination  makes  a  very  fine  series  of  photographs, 
and  Cinema  Series  No.  14  is  the  only  explanation  I 
intend  to  give  of  this  puzzle,  which  will  prove  interesting 
to  work  out.  Another  combination  is  shown  as  Cinema 
Series  No.  15.  This  is  formed  of  Exercises  VIII.  and 
IV.,  the  order  of  numbering  being  the  order  of  perform- 

177 


THE    RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK  IDEAL 

ance.  Cinema  Series  No.  16  is  a  difficult  puzzle-picture 
and  shall  remain  so,  as  it  is  formed  of  a  combination  of 
two  exercises  not  given  in  the  series  of  twelve,  both  of 
which  are  more  difficult  than  any  yet  explained.  An 
enlargement  of  the  twenty-first  position  is  given  as  an 
example  of  extraordinary  poise,  in  which  the  horizontal 
right  leg  with  its  pointed  toes  has  entirely  disappeared, 
from  an  effect  of  foreshortening.  This  poise  is  interest- 
ing from  the  fact  that  two  violent  changes  of  position 
take  place  on  the  toes  of  the  left  foot,  which  make  two 
right-angle  turns  on  a  bending  and  straightening  knee. 
This  latter  movement  immensely  increases  the  difficulty. 
Some  of  the  final  positions  are  not  good,  those  especially 
showing  the  right  leg  in  a  horizontal  line  on  the  last 
turn  are  very  poor  when  compared  with  the  same  move- 
ment in  other  exercises,  but  the  sustained  effort  of  poise 
in  this  sequence  of  movement  is  such  as  to  make  it  an 
achievement  if  it  succeeds  in  one  out  of  every  four. 
Then,  again,  the  sight  of  what  not  to  do  will  be  a  great 
help  to  beginners,  and  that  dropping  of  the  body  when 
in  the  horizontal  line,  down  on  the  left  hip,  is  a  useful 
object-lesson,  as  it  is  the  immediate  cause  of  the  bending 
knee,  and  eventually  of  the  loss  of  the  whole  balance. 
It  will  easily  be  seen  what  a  tremendous  effort  was 
needed  to  prevent  falling  and  to  recover  the  final  poise, 
which  in  itself  is  good. 

An   important    fact   to    be   remembered,  after    having 
acquired  proficiency  in  these  exercises,  is  that  they  do  not 
demand  as  a  necessity  a  daily  repetition. 
178 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    15, 


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CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    15    {co7itiniied). 


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Puzzle  Combin-.uion. 


CINEMA    SERIES,    No.    i6   {co7iti7iuc(l). 


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Puzzle  Combination  {contiauea) 


EXERCISE    XII 

These  twelve  exercises  have  been  selected  specially  for 
the  purpose  of  making  quite  clear  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  movement  in  general,  and  of  balance  under 
Tension  in  particular;  so  that  when  this  knowledge  has 
been  acquired  by  practice,  all  the  everyday  movements  of 
life  afford  complete  exercise  in  themselves. 

As  far  as  possible,  the  basic  exercises  should  be 
practised  three  or  four  times  a  week.  Personally,  I  do 
some  of  them  every  day,  if  only  for  a  few  minutes,  for 
the  sake  of  the  added  lightness  and  exhilaration  which 
they  always  bring.  But  I  make  no  rule  for  others. 
For  those  who  have  had  the  energy  and  determination 
to  work  systematically  through  the  whole  series  of  twelve 
exercises,  I  may  safely  leave  the  regulation  of  further 
practice,  knowing  that  the  power  and  fascination  of  the 
exercises  themselves  will  exert  their  own  influence,  when 
once  they  have  formed  part  of  the  daily  routine  during  a 
whole  year. 

This  explanatory  chapter  will,  I  fear,  have  proved 
very  dull  reading,  but  it  cannot  be  helped,  for  serious 
and  difficult  work  of  this  kind  claims  from  both  writer 
and  reader  the  utmost  concentration,  and  the  difficulties 
confronting  both  in  elucidating  and  apprehending  its  full 
meaning  are  enormous. 

The  light  touch  possible  in  viva  voce  description 
becomes  in  print  irrelevancy  and  distraction.  Too  much 
elaboration  of  details  which  in  actual  demonstration  can 
be  seen  at  a  glance,  produces  complication.  If,  then,  it 
appears  very  cut-and-dried,   it  must   be  remembered  that 

179 


THE   RENAISSANCE   OF   THE   GREEK   IDEAL 

the  aim  has  been  for  lucidity  and  conciseness  at  the  sacri- 
fice of  all  else,  and  that  the  desire  to  render  in  words  any 
idea  of  what  the  movements  themselves  are  able  to  produce, 
of  lift  and  exhilaration,  has  been  rigorously  repressed  for 
the  sake  of  those  students  who  have  the  continuity  of 
purpose  to  struggle  through  the  physical  difficulties  to  the 
end,  and  for  whom  the  clear  separation  of  the  different 
phases  of  the  work  is  the  only  chance  of  success. 


i8o' 


INDEX 


Aegina  Pediment,  position  of  certain 
figures  in,  3 

Alchemy,  secret  code  of,  62 

Amazon  (Vatican,  Rome),  description 
and  explanation,  77 — 80 

Apes:  formation  of  feet,  16;  modi- 
fication in  movements  of,  17 

Aphrodite  (Villa  Item),  84 

Archer  in  Aegina  Pediment:  position 
described,  3 — 5;  position  demonstra- 
ted as  a  possibility,  69,  70;  represen- 
tation in  movement,  difficulty  of,  9 

Architecture:  basis  of  equilibrium  in, 
54;  ideal  of  strength  in,  36 

Aristotle:  on  the  senses,  quoted,  98; 
energeia,  106 

Arm-swing,  rapidity  of,  effect,  8 

Athenians,  wrestling  contests  of,  37 

Axis  of  balance,  definition,  42 

Balance:  accuracy  of,  controlling  force, 
34;  affecting  the  feet,  17;  axis  of, 
41,  42;  early  training  in,  11.  In 
movement:  law  of,  41,  67;  prin- 
ciple of,  3,  68 

Baldwin,  Professor,  on  the  activities 
of  the  nervous  system,  33 

Bats,  sense  of  approach,  vibration,  loi 

Body- weight:  support  of,  in  walking, 
29;  distribution  of,  in  water,  29; 
when  required,  7 

Brain:  activities,  classified,  90,  91; 
clogging  of  registration,  95;  here- 
ditary weaknesses  of,  96;  influence 
on,  of  tension,  87;  reflex  action  of 
physical  movement  upon,  86;  as 
transmitter,  90 


Browning,  quotation  from,  94 
Buddha,  poise  of,   27 
Bull,  M.  Lucien,  50 


Camilla  of  the  Volscians,  65 

Centre  of  gravity:  connection  with 
tension,  22;  of  curves  by  movement 
of  limbs,  41;  in  movement,  34; 
proper  to  a  moving  body,  40;  where 
placed,   29 

Charioteer  (Capitol,  Rome),  descrip- 
tion, 70;  movement  of,  demonstrated, 
71;    reference,  4 

Chinese,  design  used  by,  to  represent 
Eternity,  52 

Chinese  wrestling,  38 — 40 

Concentration,  type  of,  demanded  for 
performing   sequential   exercises,    91, 

93 
Consciousness:    definition,    92;   control 

by  means  of,  89;  how  obtained, 
88 

Consciousness,  full,  not  implying  self- 
consciousness,  89 

Controlled  action  resulting  from  con- 
tinuous motor-existence,  95 

Criminals,  experiments  on,  26 

Curves:  as  affected  by  the  pivot,  43; 
geometrical  law  in  relation  to,  41; 
true,  definition,  42 


Dancers,  professional,  manner  of  walk- 
ing, 20 

Dancing,  professional,  effect  of,  on 
toes,  20 

181 


INDEX 


Diaphragm:  connection  of,  with  the 
mind,  104;  development  of,  import- 
ance, 24,  26;  tension  of,  29;  reaction 
of,  upon  the  spirit,  106;  slackness 
of,  effect,  26 

Discobolus  (bad  copy  of,  Florence), 
69 

Discobolus  (of  Myron):  final  position, 
7;  position  described,  5 — 7;  repre- 
sentation in  movement,  difficulty  of, 
9;  references,  4,  68 

Discobolus  (Vatican,  Rome),  mistake 
shown  in,   68 

Discus:  average  weight,  7;  momen- 
tum, source  of,  7;  throwing  of, 
described,  5,  6 

D'Ollon,  M.,  165 

Egyptians,  design  used  by,  to  repre- 
sent  Eternity,   52 

Emerson,  on  the  educated  will,  quoted, 
96 

Epictetus    on    self-control,    quoted,    95 

Eternity,  ancient  symbol  of,  53 

Feet:  balance  depending  on  forma- 
tion of,  16;  importance  and  care  of, 
34;  diagrams  of,  before  and  after 
training,  13,  14,  15;  and  knees, 
connection  between,  16,  17;  train- 
ing of,   II,   18 

Fighting  Theseus  (Paris),  position  de- 
scribed and  explained,  75 

Force,  economy  of:  on  what  it  de- 
pends, 34;  resulting  in  beauty  of 
movement,   54 

Fortuna  (Naples),  poise  of,  described, 
83,  84 

Geometrical  Movement,  see  Move- 
ment, Geometrical 

Greek  dance,  balance  in  movement 
shown  by,  83 

182 


Greek     dancing    boy,     vase     painting, 

description,  84 — 5 
Greek  vases,  exercises  shown  on,  11 
Greeks:  condition  of  muscles  of,  con- 
nection between  the  diaphragm  and 
the  mind  recognized  by,  104;  early 
training,  10,  11;  formation  of  foot, 
II,  12;  ideals  of,  as  to  highest  develop- 
ment, 103;  muscular  condition,  2; 
physical  superiority,  i;  slimness  of 
hips,  cause,  24;  spirit  as  regarded 
by,  105;  wrestling,  37,  38 

Haemon,  on  the  phrenes,  104 

Harmony,  definitions,  54 

Herakles,  frieze  representing  the  apo- 
theosis of,  73 

Heredity,  hypothesis  of,  chief  factor 
in,  96 

Heros  Combattant  (Louvre),  description 
and  explanation,  73 — 4 

Hindus,  design  used  by,  representing 
Eternity,  52 

Hippisley,  Colonel:  on  the  centre  of 
gravity,  48;  description  of  designs 
by,  showing  figures  produced  by  a 
moving  arm  on  a  pivot  travelling 
elliptically,   43 — 8 

Homer,    "harmony,"   word   as   defined 

by,  54 
Homer,    Iliad,    will-power    alluded    to 
in,  quoted,  106^8;  reference,  2 

Infants,  diaphragm  movement  of,   25 
Institut  Marey  (Paris),  experiments  at, 
71,  73 

James,  William:  on  brain  function, 
quoted,  90;  on  concentration,  quoted, 

93 
Japanese    wrestling:      origin,     38;    re- 
semblance to  Greek,  38 


INDEX 


Jujutsu:  origin,  38;  throws  described, 
38 

Keats,  quotation  from,  113 

Knees:     bracing    of    muscles    of,    30; 

effect  on,  of  high-heeled  shoes,  18 — 

19;    and    foot,    connection    between, 

17,  18 
Krause,     Professor,     "  Hellenika    Gym- 

nastik   und   Agonistik,"   by,   referred 

to,  38 

Lance  Throwing,  in  four  directions 
without  moving  the  feet,  82 

Leonardo  da  Vinci,  67 

Loewy,  Professor,  on  the  Charioteer, 
70;  quoted,  5 


P^STUM,  Temple  of  Neptune,  36 
Pallas     Athena     of     Aeginetan     Pedi- 
ment,   description    and    explanation, 
80,  81 
Parthians,  survival  of,  in  Thibet,   165 
Pettigrew,    Professor,    experiments    of, 

in  design  in  movement,  64 
Physical    force,    in    relation    to    geo- 
metrical movement,   50 
Physical    Training:    anatomical    knowl- 
edge not   essential  to,  88;  origin,  36 
Pivot:    alteration    in    position    of,    42; 

curves  described   by,   43 
Poise,  result  on  feet  of  perfect,  18 
Preliminary  position  of  exercises:    de- 
finition,    28,     29;     instructions     for, 
29 


Marey,  Professor,  64 
Mental  processes,  chain  of,  92 
Mentally     deficient     children,     latest 

method  of  training,  86 
Movement:  beauty  in,  how  obtained, 
54;  of  body  in  water,  39;  discon- 
nected, definition,  32,  33.  Geometri- 
cal: explanation  of  plates,  52 — 63; 
laws  governing,  49;  possible  connection 
of,  with  ancient  symbolism,  62;  sym- 
bolism in,  53;  harmonised,  definition, 
54;  necessity  for  mathematical  ac- 
curacy, 67;  law  of  rhythmical,  34. 
Sequential:  acceleration  acquired  by, 
34;  definition  and  explanation,  33; 
results  of  practice  of,  92.  Reflex 
action  of,  87.  Types  of,  32 
Muscle:  full  consciousness  of,  defini- 
tion, 88,  89;  tension  of,  see  Tension 

Optical  Registration:  of  geometric 
movement,  definition  and  explana- 
tion of  plates,  51,  52;  key  to  plates, 
55 


Reflex  Action   of   Physical   Move- 
ment, 87 
Richet,  Professor  Charles,  50,  64 
Rod,   Edouard,  on  the  idea  of  move- 
ment in  architecture,  36 


Sargent,  referred  to,  67 

Schroeder,    Dr.,    on    interpretation    of 

the  word  "hieros,"  103 
Sculpture,  antique,  principle  of  balance 

in  movement  exemplified  in,  68    , 
Self-consciousness   an    obstacle    to    full 

consciousness,  89 
Shoes,  recommendations  re,  19 
Socrates,    on    self-control,    quoted,    93 
Spartans,  mimic  battles  of,  37 
Spirit,  Greek  conception  of,  105 
Statues,    principles    of    balance    shown 

^^y.  3 


Tendon    Achilles,    exercise    for    the 
test  of,  58 


183 


INDEX 


Tension:  as  affecting  centre  of  gravity 
in  movement,  40;  affecting  sequen- 
tial movement,  34;  condition  of, 
described,  98;  definition,  21;  con- 
nection of,  with  centre  of  gravity, 
22;  increase  of  will-power  by  means 
of,  97;  maximum  activity  gained  by 
means  of,  94;  physical  and  mental 
processes  connected  by,  87;  resist- 
ant power  of,  100;  special  condi- 
tion of,  shown  in  representation  of 
the  Fortuna,  83;  vibration  increased 
by  means  of,  99 

Titian,  67 

Unregistered  Impressions,  constitut- 
ing the  sub-conscious  self,  95 

Vibration,  increasing  receptivity  and 
resistance,  99 


Waist,  muscles  controlling  tension  at, 

24 

Walking:  support  of  body  in,  30; 
tension  required  in,  34 

Weight-contact,  42 

Will-power:  control  depending  on,  91; 
definitions,  97;  depending  on  strength 
of  diaphragm,  106;  effect  of,  on 
muscles,  2;  instinctive  and  uncon- 
trolled, 96;  of  the  mother  on  the 
unborn  child,  96;  as  recognised  in  the 
Iliad,  106 — 8;  by  tension,  98 

Wrestling:  of  the  Greeks,  attribution 
of  invention  of,  37;  introduction  of, 
into  Japan,  39;  preparatory  exercises 
for,  38;  by  tripping,  38 


Youth  of  Subiaco  (ascribed  to  Myron, 
Rome),  position  described  and  ex- 
plained, 76 


184 


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